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8061  '12  NVP'Ufd 

'A  *N  '^sno^j^s 

•sojg  pjoiii^o 
jspuig 


LATIN  VERSE. 


By  FRANK  ^JpjiEI^A.  M., 

PB0FBS80R  OF  LATIN  IN  THE  BTBACDSB  UNIYBBSITT. 


2r^  i/fc^^^^^ 


LATIN     VERSE. 


\. — 2^^»_-e-      -ei,-,.— .--^X — -c^- 


BT 


FRANK  SMALLEY,  A.  M., 

PEOFESSOB  or  LATI:T  in  the  BTRACTJ8E  r>nVEESITT. 


NEW   YORK: 
D.   APPLETON   AND    COMPANY, 

1,  3,  AXD  5  BOND  STREET. 
1884. 


•      «••      *-•      •  COPTRIGHT,   18S4, 


Bt  d.  appleton  and  company. 


p^n-7  1 


NOTE. 


The  aim  in  this  pamplilet  is  to  present  at  somewhat  greater 
length  than  usual  the  details  of  Latin  versification,  at  least  in  some 
of  its  features. 

To  the  scheme  of  the  lyric  metres  of  Horace  is  added  a  de- 
tailed scheme  of  the  metres  of  Catullus  and  an  index  to  the  same. 

Credit  is  generally  given  in  loco  for  material  used.  In  addition 
several  special  works  have  been  consulted,  as  well  as  the  best 
German,  English,  and  American  Latin  Grammars.  Particular  obli- 
gation is  due  Pvoby's  Latin  Grammar  and  Schmidt's  "  Rhythmic  and 
Metric  of  the  Classical  Languages  "  (White's  translation). 

F.  S. 


729948 


INTRODUCTORY. 


The  Roman  poets  have  suffered,  in  the  estimation  of  literary 
critics,  from  the  change  in  poetical  taste  which  commenced  about 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century  ;  and,  in  that  of  scholars,  from 
the  superior  attractions  of  the  great  epic,  dramatic,  and  lyrical 
poets  of  Greece.  It  is  said,  with  some  appearance  of  plausibility, 
that  Roman  poetry  is  not  only  much  inferior  in  interest  to  the  poet- 
ry of  Greece,  but  that  it  is  a  work  of  cultivated  imitation,  not  of 
creative  art ;  that  other  forms  of  literature  were  the  true  expression 
of  the  genius  of  the  Roman  people ;  that  their  poets  brought  noth- 
ing new  into  the  world. 

It  is,  indeed,  impossible  to  claim  for  Roman  poetry  the  unbor- 
rowed glory  or  the  varied  inspiration  of  the  earlier  art  of  Greece. 
It  has  neither  the  same  novelty  nor  variety  of  matter;  nor  did  it 
adapt  itself  to  the  changing  phases  of  human  life  in  different  gen- 
erations and  different  states,  like  the  epic,  lyric,  dramatic,  and  idyl- 
lic poetry  of  Greece.  But  it  may  still  be  answered  that  the  poets  of 
Rome  have  another  kind  of  value.  There  is  a  charm  in  their  lan- 
guage and  sentiment  different  from  that  which  is  found  in  any  other 
literature  of  the  world.  If,  as  we  read  them,  the  imagination  is  not 
so  powerfully  stimulated  by  the  revelation  of  a  new  world,  yet,  in 
the  elevated  tones  of  Roman  poetry,  there  is  felt  to  be  a  permanent 
affinity  with  the  strength  and  dignity  of  man's  moral  nature ;  and, 
in  the  finer  and  softer  tones,  a  power  to  move  the  heart  to  sympa- 
thy with  the  beauty,  the  enjoyment,  and  the  natural  sorrows  of  a 
bygone  life.  ,    , 

Their  poetry  came  to  the  Romans  after  their  habits  v/erc  fully 
formed,  as  an  ornamental  addition  to  their  power.  L'nlike  the 
poetry  of  Greece,  it  was  not  addressed  to  tho  populai*  ear,  nor  wac 
it  an  emanation  from  the  popular  heart.     They  drew  the  matoriak 


6  INTRODUCTORY. 

of  their  art  as  much  from  the  stores  of  Greek  poetry  as  from  the  life 
and  action  of  their  own  times.  Their  art  is  thus  a  composite  struct- 
ure, in  which  old  forms  are  combined  witli  altered  conditions ;  in 
which  the  fancies  of  earlier  times  reappear  in  a  new  language,  and 
the  spirit  of  Greece  is  seen  interpenetrating  the  grave  temperament 
of  Rome  and  the  genial  nature  of  Italy.  The  poetry  of  the  Romans 
is  their  most  complete  literary  monument.  It  was  the  living  heir, 
not  the  lifeless  reproduction  of  the  genius  of  Greece.  If  it  seems  to 
have  been  a  highly  trained  accomplishment  rather  than  the  irre- 
pressible outpouring  of  a  natural  faculty,  still  this  accomplishment 
was  based  upon  original  gifts  of  feeling  and  character,  and  was 
marked  by  its  own  peculiar  features.  It  was  owing  to  their  gifts 
of  appreciation  and  their  love  of  labor  that  the  Roman  poets  suc- 
ceeded in  producing  works  which,  in  point  of  execution,  are  not 
much  inferior  to  the  masterpieces  of  Greece. 

From  one  point  of  view,  Roman  poetry  may  be  regarded  as  an 
imitative  reproduction ;  from  another,  as  a  new  revelation  of  the 
human  spirit.  For  the  form  and  some  part  of  the  substance  of  their 
works,  the  Roman  poets  were  indebted  to  Greece ;  the  spirit,  and 
much  also  of  the  substance  of  their  poetry,  are  native  in  their  ori- 
gin. They  betray  their  want  of  inventiveness  chiefly  in  the  forms 
of  composition  and  the  metres  which  they  employed ;  occasionally 
also  in  the  cast  of  their  poetic  diction,  and  in  their  conventional 
treatment  of  foreign  materials.  But,  in  even  the  least  original  as- 
pects of  their  art,  they  are  still  national.  Although,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Satire  and  the  poetic  Epistle,  they  struck  out  no  new 
forms  of  poetic  composition,  yet  those  adopted  by  them  assumed 
something  of  a  new  type,  owing  to  the  weight  of  their  contents,  the 
massive  structure  of  the  Roman  language,  the  fervor  and  gravity  of 
the  Roman  temperament,  and  the  practical  bent  and  logical  mould  of 
the  Roman  understanding. 

The  metres  of  Roman  poetry  are  also  seen  to  be  adaptations  to 
the  Latin  language  of  the  metres  previously  employed  in  the  epic, 
lyrical,  and  dramatic  poetry  of  Greece.  The  Italian  race  had,  in 
earlier  times,  struck  out  a  native  measure,  called  the  Saturnian  (see 
36  and  S7,  ff^ll.),  <>f  a  rapid  and  irregular  movement,  in  wliich  their 
religious  emotions,  their  festive  and  satiric  raillery,  and  their  com- 
Tnemoratire  insliacts  found  a  rude  expression.  But  after  this  meas- 
ure had  been  rejected  by  Ennius,  as  uusuited  to  the  gravity  of  his 


INTR  OB  UCTOR  Y.  7 

greatest  work,  the  Roman  poets  continued  to  imitate  the  metres  of 
their  Greek  predecessors.  But,  in  their  hands,  these  became  char- 
acterized by  a  slower,  more  stately  and  regular  movement,  not  only 
differing  widely  from  the  ring  of  the  native  Satur'nian  rhythm,  but 
also,  with  every  improvement  in  poetic  accomplishment,  receding 
further  and  further  from  the  freedom  and  variety  of  the  Greek 
measures.  The  comic  and  tragic  measures,  in  which  alone  the 
Roman  writers  observed  a  less  strict  rule  than  their  models,  never 
attained  among  them  to  any  high  metrical  excellence.  The  rhythm 
of  the  Greek  poets,  owing  in  a  great  measure  to  the  frequency  of 
vowel  sounds  in  their  language,  is  more  flowing,  more  varied,  and 
more  richly  musical  than  that  of  Roman  poetry. 

Notwithstanding  their  outward  conformity  to  the  canons  of  a 
foreign  language,  the  most  powerful  and  characteristic  measures  of 
Roman  poetry — such  as  the  Lucretian  and  Yergilian  Hexameter  and 
the  Horatian  Alcaic — are  distinguished  by  a  grave,  orderly,  and 
commanding  tone,  symbolical  of  the  genius  and  the  majesty  of 
Rome.  In  such  cases  as  the  Horatian  Sapphic  and  the  Ovidian  Ele- 
giac, where  the  structure  of  the  verse  is  too  slight  to  produce  this 
impressive  effect,  there  is  still  a  remarkable  divergence  from  the 
freedom  and  manifold  harmony  of  the  early  Greek  poets  to  a  uni- 
form and  monotonous  cadence. 

It  may  be  added  in  conclusion  that  there  are  four  great  periods 
of  Roman  poetry : 

I.  The  age  of  ISTasvius,  Ennius,  Lucihus,  etc.,  extending  from 
about  B.  c.  240  till  about  b.  c.  100. 

II.  The  age  of  Lucretius  and  Catullus,  whose  active  poetical  ca- 
reer belongs  to  the  last  age  of  the  Republic,  the  decennium  before 
the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  between  Caesar  and  Pompey. 

III.  The  Augustan  Age. 

IV.  The  whole  period  of  the  empire  after  the  time  of  Augustus. 

Sellar,  with  changes. 


LATIN   VERSE. 


1 .  RHYTH>nc  and  Metric  are  general  terms,  the  former  treating 
of  the  principles  of  Rhythm,  the  latter  of  the  application  of  Rhythm 
to  lansruajje. 

Note. — These  terms  arise  from  the  Greek  adjectives,  just  as  do  the  terms  Lo^c, 
Rhetoric,  etc. 

2.  Rhythm;  is  harmonious  movement ;  is,  in  grammar,  the  prin- 
ciple of  proportion  applied  to  language. 

Metre  (jierpov,  measure)  is  the  embodiment  of  Rhythm  in  lan- 
guage. 

Note. — For  its  specific  meanings,  see  18. 

Remark. — The  regular  recurrence  of  intoned  syllables  (Rhythm)  was 
observed  with  great  precision  by  the  Greeks.  The  theory  requires  per- 
fect regularity,  but  the  materials  that  must  be  used,  viz.,  words,  interfere 
somewhat  with  this  precision,  while  they  must  frequently  be  forced  a  little 
in  pronunciation  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  rhythm.  This  is  true 
of  all  languages  when  used  metrically,  but  not  equally  true  of  all.  (In 
music  the  rhythm  is  all-important,  and  is  perfect ;  in  poetry,  recitative  and 
even  lyrical,  it  is  theoretically  so,  but  practically  not,  because  the  language 
has  relatively  more  importance  than  in  music.) 

For  the  forcing  of  language  into  correspondence  with  the  rhythm,  com- 
pare the  following  from  Coleridge's  Rime  of  the  Ancient  Mariner : 
How  loudly  his  sweet  voice  he  rears  ! 
He  loves  to  talk  with  marin^res 
That  come  from  a  far  countree. 

See  also  under  Elision  (21,  2). 

Before  the  time  of  Ennius  the  Romans  had  a  very  loose  metrical  system. 
(See  Introduction  and  36  and  37.)  That  poet,  by  imitating  the  Greek, 
adopting  its  forms  and  rules,  inaugurated  the  practice  of  more  carefully 
regarding  Quantity  and  Rhythm  in  Latin  verse.  Considerable  hberties 
are  taken  by  the  dramatic  writers,  but  the  poets  of  the  Augustan  age  very 
carefully  conform  to  the  essential  principles  of  metrical  composition. 


10  LATIN  VERSE. 

3.  Feet  (called  also  Measures  or  Metres,  18)  are  combinations  of 
syllables  into  metrical  groups.  Feet  are  the  elements  of  verses,  as 
bars  are  the  elements  of  musical  strains. 

4.  Quantity  is  properly  the  time  used  in  pronouncing  a  sylla- 
ble.    Syllables  are  distinguished  as  long  and  short.     See  5. 

Remark. — Greek  and  Latin  versification  depends  on  Quantity,  and  is 
entirely  independent  of  the  accent  of  words.  The  alternation  of  long  and 
short  syllables  produces  the  rhythm  of  the  verse.  Modern  verse,  includ- 
ing modern  Greek  and  Latin,  is  based  on  accent,  and  Quantity  is  almost 
ignored.  It  is  not,  however,  altogether  without  influence,  since  in  Eng- 
lish poetry  it  has  some  weight  in  determining  the  position  of  words,  for  a 
labored  effect  is  produced  by  placing  long  syllables  in  unaccented  posi- 
tions. 

The  old  Latin  comic  writers  indeed  sought  to  bring  the  accent  of  words 
into  conformity  with  rhythmical  intonation,  and  this  was  one  cause  of 
their  metrical  irregularities  (34,  35,  39).  Regularity,  the  soul  of  poetry, 
was  secured  in  early  Latin,  as  in  early  English,  by  alliteration,  and  rhyme 
is  freely  introduced  into  modern  Latin  as  in  English.     See  37,  38. 

For  alliteration,  compare 

jCeep  in  a  dungeon  was  the  ^-aptive  cast, 
X>eprived  of  c?ay,  and  held  in/etters/ast.  Dry  den. 


with 
or. 


O  Tite,  <ute,  Tati,  tWA  ^anta  fyranne  ^ulisti.  Ennius. 


Immortalcs  mortales  si/oret/as^/lere.  Naevius. 
Fiva  i^idens  v'wo  sepeliri  iiiscera  busto.  Lucr. 
or,  even, 

Hvus,  ut  aiunt,  est  et  ■i;idens  cum  -yictu  ac  ^^estitu  sue  publicatus.   Cic. 

5.  1.  The  short  syllable  is  taken  as  the  unit  of  measure,  and  is 
called  mora^  or  tempics,  and  is  marked  thus,  w;  or  in  musical  nota- 
tion, C  =h  The  long  syllable  is  equal  to  two  short,  and  is  marked, 
-  or  (•  =ir. 

2.  Protraction  consists  in  drawing  out  a  long  syllable  so  as  to 
occupy  the  time  of  three  morae,  which  is  represented  thus,  i_,  or 
P  * ;  or  of  four  morae,  thus,  i_l ,  or  ^. 

3.  SyncSpe  is  the  omission  of  one  or  of  two  short  syllables  in  the 
unaccented  part  of  a  foot,  which  omission,  in  the  body  of  a  verse, 
and  sometimes  at  the  end,  is  made  up  by  protraction.     See  22,  3. 

4.  A  long  syllable  often  has  only  the  time-value  of  a  short,  with 
a  heavier  intonation,  and  is  then  represented  thus,  >  . 


LATIN  VERSE. 


11 


A  short  syllable  may  occupy  less  time  than  a  mora.  See  cyclic 
Dactjd,  7,  1. 

Note. — This  shortening  is  sometimes  termed  Correption.  The  shortened  feet  are 
said  to  be  Irrational  (7).  The  object  is  to  adapt  the  language  to  the  rhythmical  series 
wherein  it  stands.  The  term  Irrational  signifies  that  a  measure  does  not  occupy  its  ap- 
parent time.    For  Eesolution  and  Contraction,  see  7,  2;  for  Pause,  15. 

6.  1.  List  of  Feet  or  Measures. 

Feet  of  TJcree  Morae. 
Trochee  or  Choree,  —  v^ 

Iambus,  w  — 


Tribrach, 

Dactyl, 

Anapaest, 
Spondee, 

Cretic, 

Paeon  primus, 
Paeon  quartus, 
Bacchlus, 
Antibacchlus, 

lonicus  a  majori, 
lonicus  a  minori, 
Choriambus, 
Ditrochee, 
Diiambus, 


v.^  <w  v^* 


fecit. 

amant. 

facimiis. 


Feet  of  Four  Morae. 


Feet  of  Five  Morae. 


\^  \^/  \^ 


Feet  of  Six  Morae. 


fecimus. 
facerent. 
feci. 

judices. 

judicibus. 

regimini. 

nepotes. 

tlbicen. 

pastoribus. 

metuentes. 

continul. 

ceperamiis. 

propinquitas. 


2.  List  of  so-called  Feet,  not  needed  to  explain  Latin  verse. 


Pyrrhic, 
Proceleusmatic, 
Amphibrach, 
Paeon  secundus, 
Paeon  tertius, 
Antispast, 
Molossus, 
Epitritus  primus, 
Epitritus  secundus, 
Epitritus  tertius, 
Epitritus  quartus, 
Dispondee, 


>»^  v^  v^  v^ 


agis. 

ho  minibus. 

amicus, 

nepotibiis. 

Tiberiniis. 

amicorum. 

fecerunt. 

amaveriint. 

ati  die  bant. 

audlverant. 

cepissemus. 

audlvisti. 


12  LATIN  VERSE. 

3.  Groups  of  Feet. 

A  Dipody  is  a  group  of  two  feet  (see  18,  Rem.);  a  Tripody,  of  three, 
etc.  Three  half  feet  are  called  Trihemimeris ;  five  half  feet,  Penthe- 
mimeris ;  seven  half  feet,  Hephthemimeris ;  nine  half  feet,  Ennehemime- 
ris,  etc. 

Remark. — The  second  part  of  each  compound  (i.  e.,  hemimeris)  means 
one-half ;  the  first  part  tells  how  many  times  it  is  taken. 

7.  Irrational  Feet  and  Substitutions. 

1.  A  series  of  Feet  (Rhythmical  Series)  when  adapted  to  language  often 
suffers  modification.  The  proper  time  is  given  to  each  foot,  but  the  length 
of  the  syllables  may  be  lessened  in  the  adjustment.  These  modified  feet 
arc  called  irrational.      See  5,  4,  Note. 

The  irrational  Trochee  is  represented  thus,  —  > .  This  is  a  Spondee 
with  the  time-value  of  a  Trochee,  but  with  a  heavier  stress  of  voice  on  the 
last  syllable. 

The  irrational  Iambus,  >  — .  This  is  a  Spondee  with  the  time-value 
of  the  Iambus. 

The  irrational  Dactyl  is  represented  thus,  —^  ^.  The  time-value  of 
the  first  two  syllables  is  reduced  sufficiently  to  render  the  Dactyl  equal 
to  a  Trochee.  The  musical  notation  best  shows  this :  Ordinary  Dactyl, 
-  -  -,  J  J^  =1 ;  Modified  Dactyl,  -^  v^,  J^  =  -^-  +  -.^^  +  \  =  h 
thus  reducing  the  whole  so  that  it  equals  the  time  of  the  Trochee,  —  \^, 
J  ^  =  f .  The  modified  foot  is  termed  the  cyclic  Dactyl,  and  when  it  is 
introduced  into  a  Trochaic  series  (Logaoedic,  21)  greatly  adds  to  the 
vivacity  of  the  metre. 

The  cyclic  Anapaest  is  the  reverse  of  the  cyclic  Dactyl,  thus,  w  v.- — . 

2.  Substitution  is  frequent  between  feet  of  the  same  time-value. 

1)  Contraction  is  the  use  of  one  long  syllable  in  the  place  of  two  short, 
and  is  indicated  thus,  e^:^- 

2)  Resolution  is  the  use  of  two  short  syllables  in  the  place  of  one  long, 
and  is  indicated  thus,  ^=^^.  If  the  long  syllable  that  is  thus  resolved  had 
the  ictus  (see  8),  this  belongs  to  both  the  substituted  short  syllables,  but 
the  mark  is  placed  on  the  first ;  and,  in  general,  substituted  syllables  re- 
ceive the  ictus  of  those  for  which  they  stand. 

Note.— Substitution  is  indicated  by  writing  the  optional  over  the  regular  form,  thus, 
v-/^-/  >    > V-:   

3)  Anaclasis  {breaking  up)  is  the  substitution  of  a  Ditrochee  for  an 
Ionic  measure ;  thus, w  ^,  becomes  —  ^  —  v-^. 


LATIN  VERSE.  13 

8.  Ictus  (beat)  is  the  intonation  or  rhythmical  accent  that  is 
given  to  one  part  of  a  measure.  There  is  also  in  the  measure  a 
secondary  ictus,  or  "  lowered"  tone. 

The  Arsis  is  the  strongly  intoned  part  of  the  measure. 

The  Thesis  is  the  lighter  part  of  the  measure. 

The  Ictus  is  represented  thus,  -^  ^ -^,  ^^^. 

Remark.— The  original  signification  of  the  terms  Arsis  and  Thesis  was 
the  reverse  of  the  one  here  given.  The  Greeks  understood  by  Thesis  the 
dowmmrd  beat,  by  Arsis  the  upward  beat.  The  modern  practice  has  been 
to  apply  these  terms  to  the  raismg  (Arsis)  and  lowering  (Thesis)  of  the 
tones  of  the  voice. 

9.  1.  Anacrusis  (hacTc-stroJce).  —All  measures  in  a  series  properly 
begin,  as  in  music,  with  the  intoned  syllable,  or  arsis.  When  the 
thesis  precedes  the  arsis,  as  in  Iambic,  Anapaestic,  and  lonicus  a 
minori  measures,  it  is  often  treated  as  the  prelude  to  the  rhythmical 
series,  and  termed  Anacrusis,  designated  thus,  i  . 

The  anacrusis  can  not  be  greater  than  the  arsis  ;  is  regularly 
equal  to  the  thesis. 

An  irrational  syllable  (>)  can  constitute  the  anacrusis. 

To  illustrate  anacrusis : 

This  Hermit  good  lives  in  that  -wood 
"\^'hich  slopes  down  to  the  sea.   Coleridge. 

^  :  — v^|— wj— wj-AII 
^  :  -^  I  -v^  I  -  A  II   or, 
I  am  found  not  by  seeking,  but  him  that  shall  seek  I  will  find.  Day. 
^^:-^^l-^^|-^^l-^^l-AII 
An  irrational  syllable  as  anacrusis  may  be  represented  thus, 

>:_^|_^]-AII,or>   :--l--l-AII. 
(A  means  a  pause,  see  15.) 

2.  Basis  is  a  term  applied  to  the  Trochee  (or  irrational  Spondee) 
which  precedes  the  Dactyl  in  Logaoedic  Metres  (27).  Two  meas- 
ures, or  a  double  Basis,  also  occurs,  when  the  second  is  usually  an 
irrational  Spondee ;  and  this  may  be  preceded  by  anacrusis.  This 
basis  arises  from  the  fact  that  in  lyric  poetry  a  slight  ictus  only 
was  given  to  the  first  measure,  which  then  appears  almost  like 
anacrusis.  Still  it  is  not  introductory  merely  to  the  rhythm,  but 
an  inherent  part  of  it.  (See  27,  2.)  In  recitative  poetry,  like  that 
of  Horace,  the  ictus  on  the  basis  was  probably  stronger,  and  would, 


14  LATIN  VERSE. 

perhaps,  better  be  disregarded  in  the  explanation  of  Logaoedic 
forms. 

1 0.  A  Rhythmical  Sentence  is  a  series  of  measures,  usually 
equal,  and  on  one  of  which  falls  the  chief  ictus  of  the  whole. 

Such  a  sentence  is  limited  in  length.  In  Latin  a  simple  Dactylic 
series  can  not  exceed  four  feet,  a  simple  Trochaic  or  Iambic  series 
can  not  exceed  six  feet  (Monopodies).  The  Dactylic  Hexameter, 
for  example,  is  a  compound  series,  i.  e.,  a  verse  consisting  of  two 
rhythmical  sentences  combined  ;  viz.,  two  Dactylic  Tripodies. 

Kemark  1. — In  modern  composition  the  number  of  measures  in  a 
rhythmical  sentence  of  a  recited  poem  does  not  exceed  six.  The  English 
Hexapody  or  Alexandrine  verse  illustrates  this  heavy  series. 

A  needless  Alexandrine  ends  the  song, 

And,  like  a  wounded  snake,  drags  its  slow  length  along.  Pope. 

-  :  _^|_^|_^|_^I_A|| 

^  :  _^|_^|_^|_^|_^|_/\||.     (Iambic  Trimeter  or 
Hexapody.) 

The  Pentameter  is  the  English  blank  verse : 

All  night  the  dreadless  Angel,  unpursued.  Milton. 

But  the  Tetrapody  is  the  most  common  verse  in  English : 

w|  — wl—s^l— w|— AlI,or  —  w|— w|— ^|  —  All 
Remark  2. — Frequently  Enghsh  lines  (verses)  are   composed  of  two 
rhythmical  sentences  united  ;  thus — 
At  my  feet  the  city  slumbered.    From  its  chimneys,  here  and  there, 
Wreaths  of  snow-white  smoke,  ascending,  vanished,  ghost-like,  into  air. 

Longfelloio. 

_^|_^|_^|-^,  ll__|_^|_^l_  All 

Generally  the  rhythmical  sentence  corresponds  to  a  line  in  an 
English  stanza.  If  the  above  lines  (Rem.  2)  were  each  broken  up 
into  two  lines,  the  line  (verse)  and  rhythmical  series  (sentence) 
would  correspond. 

Remark  3. — In  most  Latin  recitative  poetry  two  rhythmical  sentences 
comprise  a  verse,  and  these  sentences  are  separated  by  caesura  (in  Dactyhc 
Hexameter,  see  12),  or  diaeresis  (in  Trochaic  Tetrameter,  see  13).  Iambic 
Trimeter  is  an  exception.  In  Lyric  poetry  the  verse  and  series  (sentence) 
are  generally  conterminous,  and,  it  may  be  added,  the  chief  ictus  of  the 
sentence  is  larely  in  the  first  measure.     See  9,  2. 


LATIN  VERSE.  15 

NoTR.— Rhythms  arc  rising  or  falling  {ascending  or  descendin-g).  In  the  former 
the  movement  is  from  short  syllables  to  long,  as  in  Iambic  and  Anapaestic  rhythms;  in 
the  latter  it  is  from  long  syllables  to  short,  as  in  Trochaic  and  Dactylic  rhythms.  Ana- 
crusis converts  rising  to  falling  rhythms. 

1 1.  A  Verse  (versus,  turning,  i.  e.,  a  line)  is  a  line  of  poetry, 
and  consists  of  a  simple  or  compound  (10,  Rem.  3)  rhythmical  series. 
When  a  verse  is  composed  of  two  series,  the  first  ending  with  an 
arsis  (syncopated  measure),  the  second  beginning  with  the  arsis, 
with  no  intervening  thesis,  the  verse  is  termed  AsjTiartete  {not  Jit- 
ting  together)  ;  thus — 

_^|_^|_^|l_  ii-^l-v^l-v^j-AII 
See  also  for  illustration  the  lambelegus  (26,  1),  and  Elegiambus  (26,  2). 
The  close  of  a  verse  may  be  recognized  by  the  fact,  that — 

1.  It  corresponds  with  the  end  of  a  word. 

2.  Hiatus  (21,  1)  with  the  beginning  of  the  next  sentence  is  permitted. 
See  Elision,  21,  2. 

3.  The  value  of  the  last  syllable  is  variable ;  the  long  may  stand  for 
short,  the  short  for  long.     (Syllaba  Anceps,  14.) 

Remark. — Versification  is  a  general  term  employed  by  grammarians  to 
include  Rhythm  and  Metre,  i.  e.,  both  the  harmonious  movement  of  poetic 
measures,  and  its  application  to  language.  Prosody  is  a  still  more  general 
term,  for,  while  it  means  primarily  the  theory  of  elevation  of  tone  (accen- 
tuation), it  is  commonly  made  to  include  Quantity  and  Versification,  since 
Versification,  in  Latin,  involves  Quantity,  and  Quantity  regulates  accent. 

12.  Caesura  (cutting)  is  the  name  of  the  pause  that  separates 
the  series  comprising  a  verse  (10,  Rem.  3)  when  a  word  ends  icithin 
a  foot. 

The  caesura  properly  occurring  between  the  arsis  and  thesis  of  a 
foot  does  not  strictly  coincide  with  the  end  of  the  first  rhythmical 
sentence,  for  the  thesis  following  the  caesura  belongs  to  that  series. 
This  thesis,  however,  is  regarded  as  constituting  an  anacrustic  be- 
ginning to  the  second  series.  Thus  the  two  series  are  linked  to- 
gether. The  caesura  is  thus  designated,  |1  .  ( ||  is  used  also  to 
indicate  the  end  of  the  verse.) 


The  regular  caesura,  as  above  defined  and  illustrated,  is  called 
masculine  caesura,  in  distinction  from  feminine,  which  is  the  end- 
ing of  a  word  within  the  thesis  ;  thus — 


16  LATIN  VERSE. 

The  caesura  gives  a  better  rhythmical  effect  and  more  vigor, 
preventing  monotony,  and  is  thus  especially  appropriate  to  recita- 
tive poetry. 

Remark. — "We  may  extend  the  term  caesura  to  any  case  where  a  word 
ends  within  a  measure,  although  such  a  use  of  the  term  is  not  strictly 
correct. 

13.  Diaeresis  {separation)  is  the  coincidence  in  the  ending  of 
a  word  and  a  measure,  thus  separating  the  series  comprising  the 
verse,  and  may  be  designated  by  the  same  symbol  as  caesura. 

Two  diaereses  may  occur  in  a  single  verse,  separating  its  com- 
ponent series. 

The  last  syllable  before  diaeresis  cannot  be  a  syllaba  anceps  (14), 
and  hiatus  (21,  1)  at  the  diaeresis  is  very  rare. 

1 4.  Stllaba  Anceps  is  the  name  given  to  the  last  syllable  of 
any  verse,  since  it  is  of  variable  value.  A  long  final  syllable  may 
have  the  value  of  a  short,  and  vice  versa.     See  11,  3. 

15.  A  Pause  often  occurs  at  the  end  of  a  verse  to  fill  out  the 
measure,  when  one  or  more  syllables  are  wanting  to  complete  the 
series. 

A  pause  of  one  mora  is  thus  indicated,  A  ;  of  two  morae,  A  • 

16.  Catalexis, — When  a  verse  lacks  a  syllable  at  the  end,  it 
is  called  Catalectic ;  when  it  lacks  two  syllables,  it  is  called  Brachy- 
catalectic. 

When  the  verse  is  complete,  it  is  called  Acatalectic. 

When  the  verse  has  a  syllable  in  excess,  it  is  called  Hypercatalec- 
tic ;  and  an  excess,  in  general,  makes  the  verse  Hypermetrical. 

The  series  in  a  Catalectic  verse  is  filled  out  by  a  pause  (15). 

A  verse  is  Catalectic  in  syllaham  if  the  incomplete  final  measure  re- 
tains only  one  syllable ;  in  disyUabum  if  it  retains  two  syllables,  etc. 

The  first  of  the  two  following  verses  is  Acatalectic,  the  second 

Catalectic. 

Ho  that  only  rules  by  tcn*or 
Doeth  grievous  wrong.   Tennyson. 

-^|-w|- A    il 

17.  The  following  verse  from  Horace  (Od.  I.,  18)  illustrates 
several  definitions  that  have  been  given. 


LATIN   VERSE.  17 

N ullam,  I  Vare,  sa  1  era  |  j  vite  pri  |  us  [  [  severis  |  arbo  |  rem. 

->l^^v.|l_||  — .v^|l_||-^^l-w|-All 

a  b  cfb  cfb  de 

a.  See  7,  1.  b.  See  7,  1.  c.  See  5,  2  and  3.  d.  See  U.  e.  See  15 
and  16.     f.  See  13. 

In  the  second  and  fourth  feet  occur  so-called  caesurae,  12,  Remark. 
(Illustration  from  Gildersleeve.) 

Eemark. — In  comparing  the  rhythmical  notation  of  the  series  above 
■with  the  words  of  the  verse,  we  see  how  the  equality,  which  belongs  to  all 
the  measures  alike,  is  interfered  with  by  the  language  of  the  verse.  The 
typical  foot  is  the  Trochee  (—  ^\  which  is  seen  to  be  unmodified  in  only 
one  place,  i.  e.,  next  to  the  last.  But  the  first  foot  seems  an  undoubted 
Spondee,  the  second  a  Dactyl,  the  third  incomplete,  having  but  a  single 
syllable,  etc. 

Such  feet  the  language  seems  to  demand.  But  these  would  violate  the 
rhythm,  which  requires  equality  in  all.  To  secure  this  equality,  resort  is 
had  to  Irrational  measures  (a  and  b),  to  Syncope  and  Protraction  (c),  Syl- 
laba  Anceps  (d),  Catalexis  and  Pause  (e).  Thus  the  syllables  are  equaUzed. 
Observe  also  that  the  verse  is  divided  into  three  rhythmical  sentencvS  by 
diseresis. 

It  is  understood  that  a  measure  containing  an  anacrusis  is  only  a  pre- 
lude, and  is  never  counted  as  full. 

All  these  methods  are  resorted  to  in  music  as  well  to  equalize  the 
bars. 

18.  3Ietre. — This  term  has  a  double  sense. 

1.  It  denotes  a  given  portion  of  a  verse,  taking  its  name  from  the  char- 
acteristic foot.  Thus  we  speak  of  Dactylic  Metre,  in  which  a  single  foot 
constitutes  a  Metre ;  or  Trochaic  Metre,  in  which  a  Dipody  constitutes  a 
Metre,  etc.     (See  Remark  below.) 

Monometer  denotes  a  verse  made  up  of  a  single  metre. 

Dimeter  denotes  a  verse  of  two  metres.     In  like  manner  we  have 

Trimeter,  Tetrameter,  Pentameter,  Hexameter. 

Remark.— Trochaic,  Iambic,  and  Anapaestic  series  are  measured  by 
Dipodies.     A  Trochaic  Dimeter,  therefore,  consists  of  four  feet,  etc. 

XoTE.— A  verse  is  often  named  from  the  number  of  singrle  feet  contained  in  it;  thus. 
Binarins,  verse  of  two  feet,  as  the  Adonic;  Ternarius.  of  three;  Quaternarius.  of  four; 
Senarius,  of  six,  as  the  Iambic  Trimeter  Acatalectic,  or  the  Dactylic  Hexameter;  Septe- 
narius.  of  seven,  as  the  Trochaic  Tetrameter  Catalectic;  Octonarius,  of  eight,  as  the  same 
Acatalectic.  Still  further,  we  have  the  following  terms  to  denote  rhythmical  series  of 
various  length :  Monopody,  of  one  foot ;  Dipody,  of  two ;  so  Tripody,  Tetrapody,  Pen- 
tapody,  Hexapody. 


18  LATIN  VERSE. 

Again,  the  number  of  syllables  sometimes  gives  a  name  to  the  verse;  as  Ennea- 
syllabus,  a  verse  of  nine  syllables ;  Decasyllabus,  of  ten ;  Hendecasyllabus,  of  eleven. 

2,  The  term  Metre  is  also  used  of  the  verse,  or  system  of  yerses  (i.  e., 
stanza),  which  is  defined  by  a  name  derived  from  the  character  of  the  sub- 
ject-matter, or  from  some  celebrated  poet,  usually  the  inventor ;  thus.  Ele- 
giac Metre ;  Heroic  Metre  (i.  e.,  Dactylic  Hexameter) ;  Alcaic  Metre  (from 
Alcaeus);  Sapphic  (Sappho);  Archilochian  (Archilochus) ;  Alcmanian 
(Alcman);  Hipponacteon  (Hipponax);  Pherecratean  (Pherecrates) ;  Gly- 
conic  (Glycon) ;  Asclepiadean  (Asclepiades).  Again,  a  Metre  containing 
only  one  kind  of  verse  is  termed  Metrum  Monocolum  (one  member) ;  of 
two  kinds  of  verses,  Dicolum,  etc. 

1 9.  A  Stanza  {a  stop)  consists  of  a  group  of  two  or  more  verses 
of  the  same  or  diiferent  metres.  The  term  Strophe  {a  turn)  is  also 
applied  to  such  a  group.  System  is  perhaps  a  preferable  term 
where  the  verses  are  the  same. 

1.  A  Distich  [tivo  rows)  is  a  group  of  two  verses  recurring  alternately ; 
as  the  Elegiac  Distich  (22,  4). 

A  Tristich  is  a  group  or  Strophe  of  three  verses  recurring  in  the  same 
order. 

A  Tetrastich  is  a  group  of  four  verses  recurring  in  the  same  order. 

2.  The  following  (metra  monocola)  belong  to  the  recitative  type,  and 
do  not  occur  in  Strophes :  The  Dactylic  Hexameter  (22,  1),  the  metre  of 
epic,  gnomic,  and  didactic  poetry;  the  Trochaic  Tetrameter  (25);  the 
Iambic  Trimeter  (24,  3),  which  is  also  used  with  other  verses,  forming 
Strophes  of  the  lyric  type ;  the  Choliambus  (24,  4) ;  the  Priapean  (28,  13  ; 
but  see  31,  5) ;  and  the  Galliambic  (23,  3). 

20.  Scansion  or  Scanning  (climMng,  i.  e.,  rhythmical  reading) 
consists  in  dividing  a  verse  into  its  component  feet.  To  scan  accu- 
rately, one  requires  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  rules  of 
Quantity  and  the  principles  of  Versification. 

Remark. — A  good  metrical  reader  guards  against  running  words  to- 
gether, against  letting  metrical  expression  become  singing,  but  preserves 
the  sense  and  rhetorical  character  of  the  verse,  is  careful  to  keep  the 
words  intact,  and  to  bring  out  the  melody  by  observing  the  rhythmical 
accent  or  ictus. 

To  scan  correctly,  observing  the  cautions  noted,  is  often  difficult ;  for 
there  is  frequently  conflict  between  the  word-accent  and  the  rhythmical 
accent  or  ictus,  and  the  rhythm  requires  the  observance  of  the  latter.  See 
also  Elision  and  Ecthlipsis  (21,  2). 


LATIN  VERSE.  19 

2 1 .  Figures  of  Prosody. 

1.  Hiatus  {gaping)  is  the  concurrence  of  two  vowels  in  separate  sylla- 
bles. It  may  take  place  within  a  word,  when  the  poet  often  resorts  to 
contraction  to  avoid  it,  i.  e.,  to  Synaeresis  or  Synizesis  (21,  3,  4) ;  but 
Hiatus  within  a  word  is  not  unpleasant,  and  is  generally  not  removed. 
(See  Zumpt,  §  11.) 

The  term  is  usually  restricted  to  the  concurrence  of  final  and  initial 
vowels  of  separate  words,  when  the  effect  is  harsh,  and  is  generally  avoided 
by  Elision.  But  see  Exceptions  under  Elision.  Hiatus  at  the  end  of  a 
verse  is  allowed  (11,  2). 

2.  Elision  (bt-uising)  is  the  partial  suppression  of  a  final  vowel  or 
diphthong,  or  of  a  final  m  with  preceding  vowel,  when  the  next  word  be- 
gins with  a  vowel  or  h.  Entire  suppression  would  make  the  reading  of 
the  verse  unintelligible  ;  Hiatus  would  make  it  prose.  Entire  suppression 
is  allowed  when  the  vowels  are  the  same. 

0  felix  una  ante  alias  Priameia  virgo.   Verg. 
Should  be  read : 

0  felix  un'  ant*  alias  Priameia  virgo. 

In  the  following.  Elision  occurs  as  indicated : 

Monstr°™  horrend"™  inform*  ingcns.    Verg. 

Note.— Final  m  and  initial  7i  were  denied  the  dignity  of  consonants,  for  the  first  gave 
merely  a  slight  nasal  sound  to  the  preceding  vowel,  and  the  latter  is  but  a  breathing,  an 
aspiration. 

Compare  the  following  from  Milton : 

Nor  aught  avail' d  him  now 
T'have  built  in  Heav'n  high  towers  ;  nor  did  he  'scape 
By  all  Ms  engines. 

Observe  that  avail'd  is  not  an  illustration  of  syncopation,  for  we  never 
pronounce  the  e. 

1)  Est  (and  sometimes  es)  often  drops  its  e  instead  of  rejecting  a  final 
vowel  or  m ;  as,  labor'st ;  timendum'st,  or  timendumst ;  and  even  simili's 
for  similis  es ;  opust,  dictust,  for  opus  est,  dictus  est. 

2)  A  final  s  preceded  by  a  short  vowel  was  suppressed,  in  early  Latin, 
before  a  consonant ;  final  e  in  the  interrogative  enclitic  -ne  was  sometimes 
dropped  before  a  consonant. 

3)  Elision  is  also  termed  Synaloepha  {blending)'^  or,  at  the  end  of  a 
verse,  SynaphTa  {binding) ;  the  elision  of  m  with  preceding  vowel,  Ec- 
thlipsis  {sqiieezing  out). 

4)  Exceptions  (see  Hiatus,  21,  1).— The  following  do  not  suffer  elision : 
(a.)  Monosyllabic  Interjections. 


20  LATIN  VERSE. 

(b.)  Sometimes  long  vowels  (including  diphthongs)  in  the  arsis  of  the 

measure;  as — 

Stant  et  juniperi  et  castaneae  hirsutae.    Verg. 

Vergil  permits  this  hiatus  particularly  in  proper  names,  followed  by  a 
mark  of  punctuation,  or  when  the  concurrent  vowels  are  the  same. 

(c.)  Sometimes  a  long  final  vowel  (or  diphthong)  in  the  thesis,  which 
is  then  shortened ;  as — 

Credimus  ?  an  qui  amant  ipsi  sibi  somnia  fingunt  ?   Verg. 

(d.)  Sometimes  a  short  final  vowel  in  the  thesis,  followed  by  a  period, 
a  caesura,  or  the  same  word  repeated ;  as — 

Et  vera  incessu  patuit  dea.    Ille  ubi  matrem.    Verg. 

(e.)  Ae  final  before  a  short  vowel  is  rarely  elided;  nor  are  the  mono- 
syllables do,  dem,  spe,  spem,  sim,  sio,  stem,  qui  (plural), 
(f.)  Nor  an  Iambic  word  in  Dactylic  verse. 

3.  Synaer£sis  {taking  together)  is  the  contraction  of  two  vowels  into 
one ;  as :  cogo  for  co-igo ;  nemo  for  ne-hemo.  This  term  is  often  used 
for  Synizesis  (21,  4) ;  and  the  contraction  of  two  vowels  into  a  long  vowel 
is  often  called  Crasis  ;  as :  nil  for  nihil ;  di  for  dii. 

4.  Synizesis  {settling  together)  is  the  combination  of  two  syllables  into 
one.  It  is  the  opposite  of  Diaeresis  (5);  as:  delnde,  deinceps,  aurea, 
de(h)inc,  glSsdem,  deesse,  deerit,  anteire,  antelt,  udem,  dn,  etc. 

1)  Hardening  is  a  variety  of  Synizesis,  and  is  the  consonantal  use  of 
the  semi-consonants  i  and  u ;  as,  vindemjator  for  vindemiator ;  parjetibus 
for  parietibus  ;  pitvita  for  pituita ;  tenvia  for  tenuia.  /  and  w,  thus  used, 
make  position  with  another  consonant  for  a  preceding  vowel. 

5.  Diaeresis  {separation)  is  the  separation  of  one  vowel-sound  into 
two;  as,  Orpheus  for  Orpheus.  Diaeresis,  as  applied  to  verse,  is  defined 
in  13. 

1)  Dialysis  {a  dissolving)  is  a  variety  of  Diaeresis,  and  is  the  vowel  use 
of  the  semi-vowels  j  and  v ;  as,  Troia  for  Troja ;  silua  for  silva. 

6.  Syncope  {striking  together)  is  the  omission  of  a  short  vowel  or  sylla- 
ble ;  as,  prendo  for  prehendo ;  surpuit  for  surripuit. 

Syncope,  as  applied  to  verse,  is  defined  in  5,  3. 

Y.  Diastole  {extension)  is  the  lengthening  of  a  short  syllable.  Such  a 
lengthening  takes  place  for  various  reasons. 

1)  Syllables  originally  long  are  restored  to  their  original  quantity  in 

the  arsis ;  as — 

Angulu&  ridet,  ubi  non  Hymctto.  Ilor. 

Note.— The  enclitic  -que  is  also  sometimes  treated  as  long  in  the  arsis;  as, 
SideraquS  ventique  nocent  avidaeque  volucres.  Ov. 


LATIN  VERSE.  21 

2)  The  necessities  of  the  verse  lengthen  syllables,  especially  in  proper 
names ;  as,  Priamides  for  Priamides,  since  the  latter  could  not  be  used  in 
Dactylic  verse. 

3)  A  pause  sometimes  gives  a  short  syllable  the  effect  of  a  long ;  as — 

Tempera  mutantur — et  nos  mutamur  in  illis.    Verg. 

8.  Systole  {contraction)  is  the  shortening  of  a  syllable  that  is  regularly 
long;  as,  hodie  for  hoc  die;  viden  for  videsne.     Systole  sometimes — 

1)  Restores  syllables  to  their  original  quantity ;  as,  tulerunt,  steterunt, 
for  tulerunt,  steterunt. 

2)  Shortens  syllables  from  the  necessities  of  the  verse  ;  as,  alterius  for 
alterlus,  since  the  latter  could  not  stand  in  Dactylic  verse. 

3)  Shortens,  in  early  poetry,  many  syllables  long  by  position ;  as,  iille, 
iste,  iinde.     See  39,  3. 

9.  Tmesis  {cutting)  is  the  intervening  of  one  or  more  words  between 
the  parts  of  a  compound  word ;  as,  inque  ligatus  for  illigatusque. 

Ennius  went  so  far  as  to  write,  sa^xo  cere  comminuit  brum,  for  saxo 
cerebrum  comminuit. 

22.  Dactylic  Metres. 

1.  Dactylic  Hexameter  {Heroic  Verse). — See  19,  2. 

This  verse  is  a  compound,  consisting  of  two  Dactylic  Tripodies,  the  last 
measure  being  a  Spondee  (properly,  a  heavy  DactylX  the  fifth  usually  a 
Dactyl,  while  any  of  the  first  four  may  be  Dactyl  or  Spondee  (i.  e.,  light  or 
heavy  Dactyl) ;  thus — 

Nee  requievit  enim,  donee  Chalcante  ministro.    Verg. 

A  Spondee  is  sometimes  found  in  the  fifth  foot,  in  which  case  the  verse 
is  called  spondaic,  and  the  fourth  foot  then  is  almost  always  a  Dactyl. 
There  are  but  few  spondaic  verses  in  Vergil. 

1)  Variety  in  the  character  of  the  measures  gives  the  best  effect.  The 
frequent  use  of  Dactyls  imparts  vivacity  and  rapidity  of  movement  to  the 
verse ;  while  Spondees,  having  a  slower  movement,  are  best  adapted  to  the 
conversational  tone  or  to  grave  subjects  ;  as  : 

Quadi-upc  1  dantc  pu  |  trem  ]  ]  soni  |  tu  quatit  |  ungula  |  campum.    Verg. 
Portam  ]  vi  mul  |  ta  I|  con  |  verso  |  cardine  |  torquet.  Id. 

2)  A  verse  rarely  ends  with  a  single  monosyllable  (except  est),  but  may 
80  end,  usually  for  effect,  as  for  surprise  or  humor ;  thus — 

Procubuit  viridiquc  in  litorc  con?picitur — sus.    Verg. 
Parturiunt  montcs,  1 1  nascetur  ridiculus— mus.  Eor. 


22  LATIN  VERSE. 

3)  The  liberty  of  constituting  the  measures  of  Dactyls  or  of  Spondees 
makes  possible  a  great  variety  of  verses  in  the  Hexameter.  This,  with 
the  large  number  of  caesurae,  finely  adapt  the  Hexameter  for  continuous 
composition,  as,  for  example,  a  long  epic. 

4)  The  rhythmical  accent  (ictus)  generally  coincides  with  the  word-ac- 
cent in  the  fifth  and  sixth  feet,  infrequently  in  the  third,  sometimes  in  the 
other  feet.  The  prominent  ictus  are  in  the  first  foot  and  usually  in  the 
fourth. 

5)  Hypermetrical  verses  occur  in  Ennius  and  Vergil,  whose  extra  syl- 
lable is  elided.  See  Synaphia,  21,  2,  3).  Such  extra  syllables  add  empha- 
sis, or  denote  that  the  interest  of  the  writer  has  carried  him  beyond  the 
bounds  of  his  verse,  or  that  he  breaks  off  suddenly,  leaving  something 
unsaid. 

2.  Caesura  (12). — There  is  a  principal  caesura  in  the  Hexameter ;  and 
this,  in  the  best-constructed  verses,  coincides  with  a  pause  in  the  sense. 
The  most  common  place,  as  well  as  the  most  natural,  is  after  the  arsis  of 
the  third  foot.     See  the  verses  above  quoted. 

For  the  definition  and  illustration  of  the  masculine  and  the  feminine 
caesura,  see  12 ;  also  for  the  effect  of  the  caesura  and  extension  of  the 
term. 

1)  The  principal  caesura  sometimes  falls  in  the  fourth  foot,  when  an- 
other, slighter,  usually  occurs  in  the  second. 

2)  Diaeresis  (13)  after  the  third  foot  is  carefully  avoided,  for  the  verse, 
being  constituted  of  two  Tripodies,  would  thus  be  separated  into  halves. 
"When  diaeresis  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  fourth  foot,  it  is  termed  Bucolic, 
from  its  frequency  in  Greek  (not  in  Latin)  pastoral  poetry ;  thus  : 

Prosequitur  pavitans,  1 1  et  ficto  1 1  pcctore  fatur.    Verg. 

3)  The  Roman  poets  were  very  careful  to  observe  caesural  pauses,  be- 
cause their  effect  in  recitative  poetry  was  greatly  to  embellish  the  verse. 

Remark, — The  Dactylic  Hexameter  was  used  by  Homer  in  his  great 
compositions.  Ennius,  in  imitation  of  Homer,  first  introduced  it  into 
Latin.  It  required  time  for  the  Romans  to  perfect  it.  Lucretius,  in  his 
great  didactic  poem,  improved  the  metre,  although  hampered  by  a  prosaic 
subject.  Vergil  and  Ovid  brought  it  to  its  highest  perfection,  producing 
verses  of  wonderful  beauty  and  finish.  From  its  possible  variety  it  is 
especially  adapted  to  the  lengthy  epic,  but  is  also  adapted  to  didactic 
poetry,  and,  as  Horace  illustrates,  to  satiric  and  epistolary  composition. 

The  classical  metres  have  not  been  imitated  very  much  in  English. 
With  the  Hexameter  we  may  compare  particularly  the  Evangeline  of 
Longfellow  and  the  Andromeda  of  Kingsley,  which  are  among  the  best 
English  compositions  in  that  metre. 


LATIN  VERSE.  23 

The  following  is  from  the  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish : 

Must  I  relinquish  it  all — the  joy,  the  hope,  the  illusion  ? 
Was  it  for  this  I  have  loved  and  waited  and  worshipped  in  silence? 
Was  it  for  this  I  have  followed  the  flying  feet  and  the  shadow 
Over  the  wintry  sea,  to  the  desolate  shores  of  New  England? 

3.  Elegiac  Yerse. 

This  consists  of  two  Dactylic  Penthemimers  (6,  3),  or  Catalectic  Trime- 
ters, separated  by  diaeresis.  The  third  measure  (the  last  of  the  first 
series)  is  syncopated  and  protracted  (5,  3  and  2),  and  is  equivalent  to  a 
full  measure.  It  should  be  thus  indicated,  LJ  .  The  sixth  foot  (the  last 
of  the  second  series)  is  long  (sometimes  irrationally  long),  and  is  synco- 
pated.    Here  we  may  write  either  LJ  ,  or  ^  /\ . 

Either  of  the  first  two  measures  of  the  first  series  may  consist  of  Dac- 
tyl or  Spondee ;  no  substitutions  are  allowed  in  the  Dactyls  of  the  second 
series ;  thus —  _ 

This  verse  is  sometimes  incorrectly  called  the  Pentameter,  from  the 
ancient  mode  of  dividing  its  feet ;  thus — 

-c3e;|-cx^|--|---I--^ll 

4.  Elegiac  Stanza. 

This  is  a  Distich  (19,  1),  consisting  of  the  Dactylic  Hexameter  followed 
by  the  Elegiac  Hexameter  (22,  3) ;  thus — 

Dyspari  Priamide,  ]  |  damno  formose  tuorum 
Tarn  sis  hostis  iners,  H  quam  mains  hospes  eras.   Ovid. 
1)  The  Elegiac  Stanza  is  used  in  mournful,  sentimental,  and  even  epis- 
tolary poetry.     Ovid  gave  it  its  highest  polish.     Each  Distich  should  have 
its  own  sense  complete. 

5.  Dactylic  Tetrameter. 

This  is  identical  with  the  last  four  measures  of  the  Hexameter.  The 
Dactylic  Hexameter,  followed  by  the  Tetrameter,  constitutes  the  Alcmanian 
Stanza  (29,  9). 

The  Tetrameter,  followed  by  a  Trochaic  Tripody,  in  one  verse,  con- 
stitutes  the  Greater  Archilochian  verse  (28,  11).  When  so  used  its  fourth 
foot  is  always  a  Dactyl,  and  the  Dactyls  are  doubtless  cyclic  (T,  1). 

6.  Dactylic  Trimeter  Catalectic  in  Syllabam. 

This  is  a  Dactylic  Penthemimer,  and  is  identical  with  the  second  series 
of  the  Elegiac  verse  (22,  3).  It  is  also  called  the  Lesser  Archilochian 
verse,  and  is  used  in  the  Dactylic  (or  First)  Archilochian  Strophe  (29,  10). 

*J.  Dactylic  Dimeter  is  logaoedic.     See  27. 


24  LATIN  VERSE. 

23.  Ionic  Metres. 

1.  Stanzas  formed  of  verses  consisting  of  lonicus  a  minori  feet  occur 
in  Horace,  Od.  III.,  12  (in  imitation  of  Alcaeus).  Editors  have  arranged 
these  verses  into  Stanzas  in  four  different  methods  ;  thus,  (1)  as  a  Metrum 
Monocolum  (18,  2),  each  verse  consisting  of  four  measures;  (2)  in  stanzas 
of  three  verses,  viz.,  the  first  and  second  verses,  Tetrapodies,  the  third  a 
Dipody ;  (3)  in  stanzas  of  four  verses,  viz.,  two  Dipodies  followed  by  two 
Tripodies ;  (4)  in  stanzas  of  four  verses,  viz.,  two  Dipodies,  one  Tetrapody, 
and  one  Dipody.     See  29,  xix. 

2.  The  lonicus  a  majori  occurs  in  a  Tetrameter  Brachycatalectic  verse, 
called  Sotadean,  from  the  poet  Sotades.  A  Ditrochee  is  often  substituted 
in  the  third  measure.  See  Anaclasis  (T,  2,  S) ).  The  Sotadean  was  used 
by  Terentianus  Maurus. 

3.  Galliambic  Metre. 

This  is  an  enthusiastic  metre  used  in  poems  sung  to  Cybele  by  her 
priests ;  in  Latin  found  only  in  a  single  poem  of  Catullus  (Ixiii).  The 
measure  is  the  lonicus  a  minori,  with  the  following  scheme : 

wv^ [v-yw |ww [wv^—  A  II,  or  anacrustic, 

The  anacrustic  form  is  the  best  for  an  explanation  of  resolutions. 
Dichorees  may  be  substituted  (see  7,  2,  3) )  for  the  first  and  third  feet 
after  the  anacrusis  ;  thus — 

These  Ditrochees  may  be  still  further  resolved ;  thus — 

—  >^| ||v-^V^I    v^v-yv-yv-zl     LJ    A    II 


v^  v^     •     <^^ 


V.^"   \-J    "w/V 


Ubi  capita  Maenad es  vi  j]  jaciunt  hederigerae. 

Note. — The  Galliambic  is  also  explained  as  consisting^  of  two  Anacreontic  (i.  e.,  Iam- 
bic with  Anapaest  in  the  first  foot)  Dimeters,  of  which  the  first  is  catalectic,  the  second 
brachycatalectic.    The  normal  scheme  would  then  be, 

v_y\_/  —    |"~^  —   1^^  —    I    —    jv.^'v^  —    |v^'w'v.^|v_>'  —  II 

The  term  Galliambic  comes  from  the  designation  of  the  priests  of  Cybele — i.  e.,  Galli. 
Catullus's  poem  has  a  weird  character.    See  31,  12. 

24.  Iambic  Metre. 

1.  Iambic  Tetrameter  Acatalectic  (Octonarius). 

This  is  composed  of  two  Dimeter  verses.  Often  the  determining  marks 
of  the  close  of  a  verse,  viz.,  Hiatus  and  Syllaba  Anceps,  occur  at  the  end 
of  the  first  Dimeter.     The  scheme  is  as  follows : 


LATIN  VERSE.  25 

The  Octonarius  is  used  in  lively  dialogue,  as  is  the  next  metre,  the 
Septenarius.  The  comic  poets  write  Spondees,  Dactyls,  and  Cyclic  Ana- 
paests in  any  foot  but  the  last. 

2.  Same,  Catalectic  (Septenarius). 

In  this  compound  verse  the  second  Dimeter  is  catalectic.  Diaeresis 
occurs  after  the  first  Dimeter ;  also  hiatus  and  syllaba  anceps. 

ty  -^  -^  —  {"^  —  ^  —  Wt'  —  ^  —  \  ■^  —  ^\\  y  ov  anacrustic, 
>:^^_>.  |^^_1|>|^^_^|l-AII 

3.  Iambic  Tkimeter  (or  Senarius). 

This  consists  of  six  Iambi  (Hexapody)  taken  by  Dipodies,  and  is  the 
verse  most  used  in  dramatic  dialogue. 

^  —  v_/— 1^  —  v_x— 1^  —  v^^lljOr  anacrustic, 

Parentis  olim  si  quia  impia  manu.  Hor. 

1)  Substitutions. — The  irrational  Spondee  or  the  cyclic  Dactyl  may  stand 
in  the  place  of  the  first  Iambus  of  either  pair ;  a  cyclic  Anapaest  for  the 
first  and  fifth ;  a  Tribrach  anywhere  except  for  the  last.  Substitutions  were 
freely  made  by  the  comic  poets  in  any  foot  but  the  last. 

Anapaests  used  for  Iambi  have  the  ictus  on  the  last  syllable,  Dactyls  and 

Tribrachs  on  the  second.     A  diaeresis  rarely  occurs  in  the  middle  of  the 

verse. 

Note. — The  principal  caesura  usually  falls  in  the  middle  of  the  third  foot,  sometimes 
in  the  middle  of  the  fourth. 

4.  Iambic  Scazon  {halting  Iambic),  called  also  Choliambus  and  Hippo- 
nactean. 

This  is  an  Iambic  Trimeter  Acatalectic,  but  it  reverses  the  rhythm  at  the 
close  by  substituting  a  Trochee  (or  Spondee)  for  the  last  Iambus,  the  fifth 
foot  always  being  an  Iambus  ;  thus, 

>_^_|>_^_|^ ^„, 

or  with  anacrusis,  protraction,  and  syncope, 

>   :_^_>  |_^ 1L--^|| 

O  quid  solutis  est  beatius  curis  ?  Catull. 
1)  Subsiiluiions. — A  Spondee,  cyclic  Anapaest,  or  Dactyl  may  stand  in 
the  first  or  third  foot,  a  Tribrach  in  the  second,  third,  or  fourth. 

5.  Iambic  Trimeter  Catalectic. 

Is  used  only  with  other  verses.  A  Spondee  may  stand  in  the  first  or  the 
third  foot.     "When  written  with  anacrusis,  protraction,  and  syncope,  thus— 

b  :  -v.->  l-w-^lL-^  All 
Trahuntque  siccas  machinae  carinas.  Sbr. 
On  purple  peaks  a  deeper  shade  descending.  Scott. 
2 


26  LATIN  VER8E. 

6.  Iambic  Dimeter. 

or—^  —  ol— ^— All 
Aptantur  enses  conditi.  Hor. 

Admits  a  Spondee  or  cyclic  Dactyl  in  the  first  foot,  a  Tribrach  in  the 
second,  a  Spondee  in  the  third.  Occurs  as  catalectic  and  as  brachycatalcc- 
tic.  Alternating  with  the  Iambic  Trimeter  it  forms  the  Iambic  Strophe 
(29,  15). 

25.  Trochaic  Metres. 

1.  Trochaic  Tetrameter  Acatalectic  (Octonarius). 
Is  composed  of  two  Dimeters,  separated  by  diaeresis. 

—  w  —  c;  I  — ^  —  v:/li  —  ^  —  o  I  — ^  —  wll 
In  the  following  lines — 

"  Straight  mine  eye  hath  caught  new  pleasures 
While  the  landscape  round  it  measures," 

the  two  verses  correspond  to  the  Octonarius  with  its  two  Dimeters. 

1)  Substitutions. — The  Spondee  may  stand  in  any  foot,  a  cyclic  Dactyl, 
Anapaest,  or  a  Tribrach  in  any  but  the  last. 

The  verse  occurs  in  Plautus  and  in  Terence. 

2.  Trochaic  Tetrameter  Catalectic  (Septenarius). 

Is  composed  as  the  last  (the  second  Dimeter  being  catalectic),  with 
diaeresis  and  frequently  hiatus. 

Extra  unum  Palaestrionem,  hue  deturbatote  in  viam.  Plant, 
Guide  me,  0  thou  great  Jehovah, 
Pilgrim  through  this  barren  land.   Oliver, 

This  verse  is  frequently  found  in  the  comic  poets. 

Same  substitutions  as  in  the  Octonarius. 

8.  Trochaic  Dimeter,  with  Anacrusis  (Alcaic  Enneasyllable). 


Silvae  laborantes,  geluque.  Hor. 

This  verse  is  Logaoedic  (27). 

4.  Trochaic  Dimeter  Catalectic. 

—  v^  —  v-^l    —  w  —  II 

In  sinu  ferens  deos.  Hor. 
Used  only  with  other  verses. 

5.  Trochaic  Dimeter  Brachycatalectic,  or  Tripody  (Ithyphallic). 

-w|-^|-w|| 
Veris  et  Favoni.  Hor. 
A  part  of  the  Logaoedic,  or  Greater,  Archilochian  (22,  6,  and  28,  11). 


LATIN  VERSE.  27 

26.  1-  Iambelegcs. 

Is  a  mixed  metre,  and  consists  of  an  Iambic  Dimeter,  and  a  Dactylic 
Penthemimer,  or  Lesser  Archilochian. 

Ecducet  in  sedem  vice.  1 1  Nunc  et  Achaemenio.  Har. 

Diaeresis  separates  the  series,  which  are  sometimes  written  as  separate 
verses. 

2.  Elegiambus. 

Is  the  same  as  the  last,  with  the  order  of  the  series  reversed, 

27.  Logaoedics. 

1.  Logaoedics  are  Trochaic  metres,  in  which  the  stress  of  voice  (ictus) 
in  the  thesis  is  stronger  than  in  the  ordinary  Trochee,  and  the  measures, 
of  various  forms,  have  the  time-value  of  the  Trochee.  The  term  Logaoedic 
means  prose-song  {\6yQSy  ooiStj),  and  arises  from  the  apparently  irregular 
interchange,  in  this  kind  of  verse,  of  different  forms  of  measures,  which 
made  the  rhythm  seem  prosaic.  These  equivalent  measures  are  the  irra- 
tional Spondee,  —  > ,  the  cyclic  Dactyl,  — ^  v^,  and  the  syncopated  Tro- 
chee, L_. 

2.  The  Logaoedic  forms  in  Latin  verse  are  the  Dipody,  the  Tripody, 
the  Tetrapody,  and  the  Pentapody.  The  last  is  often  regarded  as  a  com- 
pound. 

These  all,  except  the  last,  may  be  Acatalectic  or  Catalectic. 

Dipody.     See  Adonic,  28,  1. 

Tripodies. 

Logaoedic  Tripodies  are  called  PherecratCan.  They  are  two  in  number, 
and  are  termed  first  or  second,  according  as  the  Dactyl  stands  in  the  first 
or  second  measure.     The  second  Pherecratean  has  a  Basis  (9,  2). 

1)  First  Pherecratean. 

— ,^|_^|__[|,or-^^|-w|^AII 

2)  Second  Pherecratean. 

->|-.^w|-^||,or->l-^w|^All 
The  Acatalectic  forms  may  have  been  made  equal  to  a  Tetrapody : 

->  I---IL.  I^AII 

Note. — The  first  measure  of  the  Second  Pherecratean  is  always  a  Spondee  in  Horaca 
and  Catullus.    Hence  it  is  thus  represented, ^ , 

Tetrapodies. 

Logaoedic  Tetrapodies  are  called  Glyconic.  They  are  three  in  num- 
ber, and  are  termed  first,  second,  or  third,  according  as  the  Dactyl  stands 
in  the  first,  second,  or  third  measure. 


28  LATIN  VERSE. 

1)  First  Glyconic. 

2)  Second  Glyconic. 

->l-^^|-w|-oll,or->l  — .v-l-v^l^All 

3)  Third  Glyconic. 

-^|->|-^v^l-oli,or-v.|->|-v-.w|^VII 

Remark. — The  Logaoedic  metres  are  often  termed  Choriambic ;  and  a 
Choriambus  does  seem  to  occur  in  the  fundamental  forms.  For  example, 
the  Catalectic  Adonic,  —^  ^-^  |  —  A  II  >  seems  like  —  w  ^  — .  The  best 
scholars,  however,  teach  that  genuine  Choriambi  are  not  found  in  Latin 
verse,  and  that  these  forms  are  to  be  regarded  as  Logaoedic. 

28.  Verses  1-11  in  the  following  list  occur  in  Horace ;  verses 
3,  4,  6,  7,  12,  13,  are  found  in  Catullus. 

1.  Adonic  (from  a  poem  of  Sappho  addressed  to  Adonis). 

— -|-c?ll 
Carmina  vestam.  Hor. 

Note. — As  written  in  the  Greater  Asclepiadean,  the  Adonic  is  catalectic;  thus, 
-.^  w  I  L_  II  .     (38,  6.) 

2.  Aristophanic,  or  First  PherecratjBan. 

— .^|_^|__||^or  — .^|-w|l_|^AII 
Lydia  die,  per  omnes.  Hor. 

3.  Second  PnERECRATgAN. 

->|----|-oII,or->|_^^|L_|^AII 
Grate,  Pyn-ha,  sub  antro.  Eor. 

4.  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic  (Anacreontic  Octosyllable). 

->|---|--|^Ail 
Navis  quae  tibi  creditum.  Eor. 

Note.— Some  regard  the  second  form  of  the  Second  PherecratSan  given  above  (8)  as 
a  syncopated  or  falling  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic. 

5.  Lesser  Asclepiadean. 

Second  and  First  PherecratSan,^both  catalectic,  with  diaeresis. 

->|-wv^|i_!|-^v^|-v^|^AII 
Sublimi  fcriam  ||  sidera  vertice.  Hor. 

6.  Greater  Asclepiadean. 

Constructed  the  same  as  the  last,  except  that  a  Catalectic  Adonic  is 
interposed.     There  are  diaereses  where  the  series  unite. 


LATIN  VERSE.  29 

->I-^v^Ii_||-^^Il_||^w|-v^|^A|| 
Quae  nunc  oppositis  1 1  debilitat  1 1  pumicibus  mare.  Eor. 

7.  Lessf.u  Sapphic. 

Pentapody  with  Dactyl  third.  (Some  say,  a  double  basis  with  First 
Pherecratean ;  but  see  9,  2 )  In  Horace  the  second  foot  is  always  irra- 
tional, in  Catullus  not  always. 

Auream  quisquis  mediocrltatem.  Eor. 

Seu  Sacas  sagittiferosque  Parthos.   Catull. 

8.  Greater  Sapphic. 

Third  Glyconic  Catalectic  and  First  Pherecratean.     See  above,  4,  Note. 
-w|->|-^wl  L-  11-^^1-^1  I-   loAII 
Saepe  trans  finem  jaculo  |1  nobilis  expedite.  Ror. 

9.  Lesser  Alcaic  (Alcaic  Decasyllabic). 

Et  mulicr  peregrina  vertit.  Eor. 

10.  Greater  Alcaic  (Alcaic  Hendecasyllable). 

A  Catalectic  Logaoedic  Pentapody,  with  anacrusis,  Dactyl  third. 
(Others,  a  double  basis  with  anacrusis  followed  by  a  Catalectic  First 
Pherecratean.) 

Hac  arte  Pollux  et  vagus  Hercules.  Eor. 

11.  Greater  Archilochian. 

Dactylic  Tetrameter  +  Trochaic  Tripody  (25,  5).  A  Spondee  may  stand 
for  either  of  the  first  three  Dactyls.     Diaeresis  between  the  series. 

—3^  I  —3^  I  — J^  I  —^  ^  II  —  ^  I  —  ^  I  —  o  II   or  better,  perhaps, 

_>  I  _Jt  I  _?L  I  — -I1-- I -- I  ^  I  ^  A  II 

Ac  neque  jam  stabulis  gaudet  pecus  ' !  aut  arator  igni.  Eor. 

12.  Phalaecian  (Hendecasvllable). 

Logaoedic  Pentapody,  Dactyl  second.  The  first  foot,  —  ^,  is  a  Tro- 
chee, —  v-x,  a  Spondee,  —  >,  or  even  an  Iambus,  w  — .  Catullus  has  in  one 
poem  (Iv.)  a  Spondee,  —  > ,  for  the  cyclic  Dactyl.  Martial  always  employs 
a  Spondee  in  the  first  foot. 

(--)   (-» 

Passer,  dellciae  meae  puellae.  Catull. 


30  LATIK  VERSE. 

13.  PriapEan. 

A  Catalectic  Second  Glyconic  and  a  Second  Pherecratgan.     See  abore, 
3  and  4,  Note. 

-b|-^w|-w|i_l|->|^^|i_|i=.AII 
Crura  ponticuli  assulis  ||  stantia  in  redivivis.  Catull. 

29.  Lyric  Metres  of  Horace. 
The  Lyric  Metres  of  Horace  are  nineteen  in  number,  as  follows : 

1.  Alcaic  Stanza  (called  also  Horatian).     In  thirty-seven  Odes. 
Four  verses. 

1),  2)  b   :•  -  ^  I  -  >  I  -^  w  I  -  .^  I  ^  A  II  ,  Greater  Alcaic,  28,  10. 

3)  o   :  — ^  — ol— ^  — vii^ll,  Trochaic  Dimeter,  with  Anacrusis, 
25,3. 

4)  ^^w|-N^v^|— w|— ;3||,  Lesser  Alcaic,  28,  9. 

Vides,  ut  alta  stet  nive  candidum 
Soracte,  nee  jam  sustineant  onus 
Silvse  laborantes,  geluque 
Flumina  constiterint  acuto.   Od.  /.,  9. 

2.  Lesser  Sapphic  Stanza.     In  twenty-five  Odes  and  Carmen  Seculare. 
Four  verses. 

1),  2),  3)  —  ^  I  -  >  I  -^  w  I  -  v^  I  -  ^  II ,  Lesser  Sapphic,  28,  7. 
4)  -^^\-^\\,  Adonic,  28,  1. 

Nullus  argento  color  est  avaris 
Abdito  terris,  inimicc  lamnse 
Crispe  Sallusti,  nisi  temperato 
Splendeat  usu.   Od.  JL,  2. 

3.  Greater  Sapphic  Stanza.     In  one  Ode. 
Four  verses. 

1),  3)  -^  w  I  -  v^  I  L_    I  ^  A  II ,  Aristophanic,  28,  2. 
2),  4)  -  ^  I  -  >  I  — .  ^  I  L_  II  — .  v^  I  -  w  I  »-   I  c;  A  II ,    Greater 
Sapphic,  28,  8. 

Lydia,  die,  per  omnes 

Te  Decs  oro,  Sybarin  cur  properas  amando 
Perdere  ?  cur  apricum 
Oderit  campum,  patiens  pulveris  atquc  solis?  Od.  J.,  8. 

4.  Lesser  or  First  Asclepiad6an  Stanza.     In  three  Odes. 
Four  verses.     MonocGlum,  18,  2. 

—  >  I  — v^  ^_/  I  L_-  II  —^  v^  I  —  ^  I  ^  A  II ,  Lesser  Asclepiadean,  28,  5. 
Sunt  quos  curriculo  pulverem  Olympicum 
Collegisse  juvat :  metaque  fervidis 
Evitata  rotis  palmaque  nobilis 
Terrarum  dominos  evehit  ad  Decs.  Od.  /.,  1. 


LATIN  VERSE.  31 

6.  Intrrchanging  or  Second  AsclepiadEan  Stanza.     In  twelve  Odes. 
Four  verses. 

1),  3)  -  >  I  — ex  v^  I  -  w  I  i=^  A  II »  Second  Glyeonic  Catalectic,  28,  4. 

2),  4)  —  >  I  — v_/  s^  I  L_   II  — ^  w  I  —  w  {  ^  A  II ,  Lesser  Asclepiadean, 

28,  5. 

Donee  gratus  eram  tibi, 

Ncc  quisquam  potior  brachia  candidse 
Ccrvici  juvenis  dabat : 

Persarum  vigui  rege  beatior.   Od.  III.^  9. 

6.  AsclepiadEan  Glyconic  or  Third  AsclepiadEan  Stanza.     In  nine 
Odes. 

Four  Verses. 

1),  2),  3)    -  >  I  — ,  .^  I  L_  II  -^  v^  I  -  w  I  ^  A  11 ,   Lesser    Asclepia- 
dean,  28,  5. 

4)->|^.w|-v^[5=^AII,  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic,  28,  4. 

Jam  Yeris  comites,  quae  mare  tempcrant, 
Impellunt  animse  lintea  Thraciae : 
Jam  nee  prata  rlgent,  nee  fluvii  strcpunt 
Hibema  nive  turgidi.   Od.  /F.,  12. 

Y.  Contrasted  or  Fourth  AsclepiadEan  Stanza.     In  seven  Odes. 
Four  verses. 

1),  2)  -  >  I  -v^  .^  I  L.  II  -^  v^  I  _  ^  I  i-  A  II ,  Lesser  Asclepiadean, 
28,5. 

3)->  |-v^w|l_  I^AII,  Second  Pherecratean,  28,  3. 
4)->|-^w|-^^|^AIi,  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic,  28,  4. 
Quis  multa  gracilis  te  puer  in  rosa 
Perfusas  liquidia  urguet  odoribus 
Grate,  Pyrrha,  sub  antro  ? 
Cui  flavara  rcligas  comam.   Od.  /.,  5. 

8.  Greater  or  Fifth  AsclepiadEan  Stanza.     In  three  Odes. 
Four  verses.     Monocolum,  18,  2. 

->  |^^v^|l_  ||^^v^|L_  ll^^^l-v-I^AII,  Greater  Ascle- 
piadean, 28,  6. 

Tu  ne  quissieris,  scire  nefas,  quem  mihi,  quom  tibi 
Finem  Di  dederint,  Leuconoe  ;  nee  Babylonios 
Tentaris  numeros.     Ut  melius,  quidquid  erit,  pati ! 
Seu  plures  hiemes,  sou  tribuit  Jupiter  ultimam.   Od.  /.,  11. 

9.  Alcmanian  Stanza.     In  two  Odes. 

Four  verses.     Properly,  two  verses  to  a  stanza,  as  in  Epode  12,     Here 
doubled. 


32  LATIN  VERSE. 

1),  3)  -  oo  I  -  oo  I  -  oo  I  -  cx^  I  -  'Cr^  I  -  -  II ,  Dactylic   Hexa- 
meter, 22,  1. 

2)j  4)  —  oc;  I  —  ow  I  -  oo  I  -  -  II ,  Dactylic  Tetrameter,  22,  5. 
Lauclabunt  alii  claram  Ehodon,  aut  Mitylenen, 

Aut  Epheson,  bimarisve  Corinthi 
Mceuia,  vel  Baccho  Thebas,  vel  Apolline  Delphos 
Insignes,  aut  Thessala  Tempe.   Od.  /.,  7. 

Same.     In  Epode  XII, 

Two  verses.     (Alcmanian  proper.) 

10.  Dactylic  or  First  Archilochian  Stanza.     In  one  Ode. 
Four  verses. 

1),  3)  -  oo  I  -  cpo  1  -  cpo  I  -  oo  I  -  ^  I  -  -  II ,   Dactylic   Hexa- 
meter, 22,  1. 

2)j  4)  —  w  w  I  —  w  w  I  ^  A  II ,  Lesser  Archilochian,  22,  6, 
Diftugere  nives :  redeunt  jam  gramina  campis, 

Arboribusque  comse : 
Mutat  terra  vices :  et  decrescentia  ripas 
Flumina  pratereunt.   Od.  JV.,  7. 

11.  Second  Archilochian  Stanza.     In  one  Epode. 

Two  verses.      Sometimes  the  second  verse  is  divided,  thus  making 
stanzas  of  three  verses. 

1)  —  oo|—  Ow|  —  ool  —  CT^I-  ^^  1  —  —  II J   Dactylic    Hexa- 
meter, 22,  1. 

2)  >-^-|^-^^-||-^-^I-^^|-AII,  lambelegus,  2S,  1. 

Illic  omne  malum  vino  cantuque  levato, 
Deformis  segriraoniae  dulcibus  alloquiis.  Fpode  XIII. 

Note. — Observe  that  this  stanza  differs  from  the  half-stanza  of  the  Dactylic,  or  First 
Archilochian,  only  by  prefixing  an  Iambic  Dimeter  to  the  second  verse  of  the  latter. 

12.  Third  Archilochian  Stanza.     In  one  Epode. 

Two  verses.      Sometimes  the  second  verse  is   divided,  thus  making 
stanzas  of  three  verses. 

1)  >— ^_|>— v_,_|>— w^ll,  Iambic  Trimeter,  24,  3. 

2)  -w.^I-v^^|^||>:,-v^-|2:,-w^||,  Elegiambus,  26,  2. 

Ubi  hacc  severus  tc  palam  laudaveram, 
Jussus  abire  domum,  ferebar  incerto  pcde.  Epode  XL 

Note. — Observe  that  this  stanza  differs  from  the  Iambic  Stanza  (15)  only  by  prefixing 
a  Lesser  Archilochian  to  the  second  verse  of  the  latter. 

13.  LoGAOEDic  or  Fourth  Archilochian  Stanza.     In  one  Ode. 
Four  verses. 

1),3)-^|-— l-ool-v^wl-^l-^lL-l-AII, 
Greater  Archilochian,  28,  11. 


LATm  VERSE.  33 

2),  4)  b  — w—  1^  — v-^—  I  v--  — oA  II  ,  Iambic  Trimeter  Catalectic,  24, 6. 
Or,  2),  4)  >   :  -  .-.  -  ^  I  -  w  -  ^  I  i_  -  A  II . 

Solvitur  acris  hiems  grata  vice  veris  et  Favoni, 

Trahuntque  siccas  macliinae  carinas ; 
Ac  neque  jam  stabulis  gaudet  pecus,  aut  arator  igni ; 
Ncc  prata  canis  albicant  pruinis.   Od.  /.,  4. 

14.  Iambic  Trimeter,  24,  3.     In  one  Epode. 
Metrum  MonocOlum,  18,  2.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

>_^_|>_^_|>_^^]|,or>    i  -^_>   |_^_>  I_^^Al|. 
Per  atque  libros  canninum  valentium.  Epode  XVII. 

15.  Iambic  Stanza.     In  ten  Epodes,  I.-X. 
Two  verses. 

1)  >_^_|>_^_|>_^i=^||,  Iambic  Trimeter,  24,  3.     May  be 
written  with  Anacrusis. 

2)  w  —  s^— 1^  —  w  —  ||,or  anacrustic.     Iambic  Dimeter,  24,  6. 

Lupis  et  agnis  quanta  sortito  obtigit, 
Tecum  mihi  discordia  est.  Epode  IV. 
Note. — Compare  the  TTiird  Archilochian  Stanza,  12,  and  Note. 

16.  First  Pythiambic  Stanza.     In  two  Epodes,  XIY.,  XV. 
Two  verses. 

1)  —  cKu  I  —  o;::?  I  —  00  I  —  00  I  —^-^  I  —  —  II  ,  Dactylic  Hexameter, 
22,  1. 

2)  ?:— ^— 1^  —  ^-'  —  II,  Iambic  Dimeter,  24,  6. 

Mollis  inertia  cur  tantam  diflFuderit  imis 
Oblivionem  sensibus.  Epode  XIV. 

17.  Second  Pythiambic  Stanza.     In  one  Epode. 
Two  verses. 

1)  —  00  I  —  crc;  I  —  00  I  —  00  1  —  ^  ^  1  —  —  II  5  Dactylic  Hexameter, 
22,  1. 

2)  >_^_|>_^_]>_w^||,  Iambic  Trimeter,  24,  3. 

Altera  jam  teritur  bellis  civilibus  setas, 
Suis  et  ipsa  Roma  viribus  mit.  Epode  XVI. 

18.  HiPPONACTfiAN  Stanza  (Trochaic  Stanza).     In  one  Ode. 
Four  verses. 

1),  3)  — v^  —  v^|— v^^^All,  Trochaic  Dimeter  Catalectic,  25,  4. 

2)^  4)  2:/  —  ^— 1^  —  >-/— |v^  —  vi^AII,  Iambic   Trimeter  Catalectic, 

""•i  ^"  Non  ebur  neque  aureum 

Mea  renidet  in  domo  lacunar : 
Kon  trabes  Hj-mettiae 
Premunt  columnas  ultima  recisaS.   Od.  II..,  18. 


^ 


LATIN  VERSE. 


19.  Ionic  Stanza.    In  one  Ode. 

Four  verses.     See  23,  1,  4).     Many  prefer  23,  1,  3). 

1),  2),  4)  w  ^ I  w  v^ il ,  Ionic  Dipody. 

3)   wv-/ l^v^ |ww |ww II,  Ionic  Tetrapody. 

Miserarum  est  neque  amori 
Dare  ludum,  neque  dulci 
Mala  vino  laverc,  aut  exanimari  metuentca 
Fatruae  verbera  linguae.   Od.  III.^  12. 

30.  Index  to  the  Ltkic  Metres  op  Horace. 

Lib.  I. 


1. 

Maecenas  atavis :  4. 

20. 

Vile  potabis :  2. 

2. 

Jam  satis  terris  :  2. 

21. 

Dianam  tenerae :  7. 

3. 

Sic  te  diva :  5. 

22. 

Integer  vitae :  2. 

4. 

Solvitur  acris  hiems  :  13. 

23. 

Vitas  binnuleo :  7. 

5. 

Quis  multa :  7. 

24. 

Quis  desiderio :  6. 

6. 

Scriberis  Vario :  6. 

25. 

Parcius  junctas :  2. 

7. 

Laudabunt  alii :  9. 

26. 

Musis  amicus :  1. 

8. 

Lydia  die :  3. 

27. 

Natis  in  usum :  1. 

9. 

Vides  ut  alta:  1. 

28. 

Te  maris :  9. 

10. 

Mercuri  facunde  nepos :  2. 

29. 

Icci  bcatis :  1. 

11. 

Tu  ne  quaesieris :  8. 

SO. 

0  Venus :  2. 

12. 

Quem  virum :  2. 

31. 

Quid  dedicatum :  1. 

13. 

Cum  tu  Lydia :  5. 

32. 

Poscimur:  2. 

14. 

0  navis :  7. 

33. 

Albi  ne  doleas:  6. 

15. 

Pastor  cum  traheret :  6. 

34. 

Parens  deorum :  1. 

16. 

0  matre  pulchra :  1. 

35. 

0  diva :  1. 

17. 

Velox  amoenum :  1. 

36. 

Et  thure :  5. 

18. 

NuUam  Vare :  8. 

37. 

Nunc  est  bibendum : 

19. 

Mater  saeva :  5. 

38. 

Persicos  odi :  2. 

Lib.  n. 


1.  Motum  ex  Metello :  1. 

2.  NuUus  argento :  2. 

3.  Aequam  memento :  1. 

4.  Ne  sit  ancillae :  2. 

5.  Nondum  subacta:  1. 

6.  Septimi  Gades  :  2. 

7.  O  saepe  mecum :  1. 

8.  Xllla  si  juris :  2. 

9.  Non  semper  imbres :  1. 
10.  Eectius  vives :  2.     ' 


11.  Quid  bellicosus :  1. 

12.  Nolis  longa :  6. 

13.  Ille  et  nefasto :  1. 

14.  Eheufugaccs:  1. 

15.  Jam  pauca:  1. 

16.  Otium  divos :  1. 

17.  Cur  me  querelis :  1. 

18.  Non  ebur:  18. 

19.  Bacchum  in  remotis :  1. 

20.  Non  usitata :  1. 


LATIN  VERSE. 


85 


Lib.  III. 


1.  Odi  profanum :  1. 

2.  Angustam  amice :  1. 

3.  Justum  et  tcnacem :  1. 

4.  Descende  caclo  :  1. 

5.  Caelo  tonantem :  1. 

6.  Delicta  majorum:  1. 

7.  Qmd  lies :  7. 

8.  Martiis  caelebs :  2. 

9.  Donee  gratus :  5. 

10.  Extremum  Tanain :  6. 

11.  Mercuri  nam  te  :  2. 

12.  Miseranun  est :  19. 

13.  0  fons  Bandusiae :  7. 

14.  Herculis  ritu :  2. 

15.  Uxor  paupei-is :  5. 


16.  Inclusam  Danaen :  6. 

17.  Aeli  vetusto:  1. 

18.  Faune  nymphanim :  2 

19.  Quantum  distct :  5. 

20.  Non  vidcs  :  2. 

21.  Onatamecum:  1. 

22.  Montium  custos :  2. 

23.  Caelo  supinas  :  1. 

24.  Intactis  opulentior :  5, 

25.  Quo  me  Baccbe :  5. 

26.  Yixi  puellis  :  1. 

27.  Impios  parrac :  2. 

28.  Festo  quid :  5. 

29.  Tyrrhena  regum :  1. 

30.  Exegi  monumentum : 


Lib.  IV. 


1.  Intermi?3a  Venus :  5. 

2.  Pindarum  quisquis :  2. 

3.  Quern  tu  Melpomene :  5. 

4.  Qualem  ministrum :  1. 

5.  DivLs  orte  bonus :  6. 

6.  Dive  quern  proles :  2. 

7.  Diffugerere  nivcs :  10. 

8.  Donarem  patents :  4. 


1.  Ibis  libumis :  15. 

2.  Beatus  ille  :  15. 

3.  Parentis  olim  :  15. 

4.  Lupis  et  agnis  :  15. 

5.  At  0  deorum :  15. 

6.  Quid  immerentes :  15. 

7.  Quo  quo  scelesti :  15. 

8.  Kogare  longo :  15. 

9.  Quando  repostum :  15. 


9.  Ne  forte  credas :  1. 

10.  0  crudelis  adhuc :  8. 

11.  Est  mibi  nonum  :  2. 

12.  Jam  vcris  comites :  6. 

13.  Audivere  Lyce :  7.    ' 

14.  Qua  cura  patrum :  1. 

15.  Phoebus  volentem :  1. 
Ca'rmen,  Saeculare :  2. 


Epodes. 


10.  Mala  soluta :  15. 

11.  Pecti  nihil :  12. 

12.  Quid  tibi  \is:  9. 

13.  Horrida  tempestas :  11. 

14.  Mollis  inertia:  16. 

15.  Nox  erat :  16. 

16.  Altera  jam:  17. 

17.  Jam  jam  efficaci :  14. 


3 1 .  Metres  of  Catullus. 

The  Metres  of  Catullus  are  twelve  in  number,  as  follows : 

1.  Lesser  Sapphic  Stanza.     In  two  Carmina,  XL,  LI. 

Identical  with  the  same  in  Horace,  29,  2,  except  that  the  second  foot 


36  LATIN  VERSE. 

Nee  meum  respectet,  ut  ante,  amorem, 
Qui  illius  culpa  cecidit,  velut  prati 
Ultimi  flos,  praetereunte  postquam 
Tactus  aratro  est.  Carm.  XL 

2.  Greater  or  Fifth  AsclepiadEan  Stanza.     In  one  Carmen. 
Identical  with  the  same  in  Horace,  29,  8,  except  that  diaeresis  between 

the  series  is  not  strictly  observed  as  in  Horace.     See  note  below. 

Alfene  inmemor  atque  unanimis  false  sodalibus, 

Jam  te  nil  miserct,  dure,  tui  dulcis  amiculi  ? 

Jam  me  prodere,  jam  non  dubitas  fallere,  perfide  ? 

Nee  facta  impia  fallacum  hominum  caelicolis  placent.  Carm.  XXX. 

Note. — Observe  that  in  the  last  verse  above  the  first  diaeresis  would  fall  after  the  syl- 
lable/a^- in  fallacam.    Horace  carefully  avoids  such  defects. 

3.  First  Glyconic  Stanza  (only  in  Catullus).     In  one  Carmen. 
Four  verses. 

1)^  2),  3)  —  ^  I  -.^^  I  —  v-^  I  ^  A  II ,  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic,  28,  4. 
4)  —  ^  I  — v-/  ^  I  —  w  !| ,  Second  Pherecratean,  28,  3. 

Sis  quocunque  tibi  placet 
Sancta  nomine,  Eomulique, 
Antique  ut  solita  es,  bona 
Sospites  ope  gentem.   Carm.  XXXIV. 

Note. — Catullus  usually  employs  a  Trochee,  sometimes  an  Iambus,  in  the  first  meas- 
nre  of  the  Second  Glyconic,  while  Horace  has  nearly  always  a  Spondee.  In  the  Second 
Pherecratean,  Catullus  employs  an  Iambus  sometimes  in  the  first  measure  and  a  Trochee 
in  the  last.     Horace  has  generally  a  Spondee  last. 

4.  Second  Glyconic  Stanza  (only  in  Catullus).     In  one  Carmen. 

Five  verses.  1),  2),  3),  4)  Second  Glyconic  Catalectic;  5)  Second 
PherccratSan.     See  preceding  stanza,  3. 

Collis  0  Heliconii 
Cultor,  Uraniae  genus, 
Qui  rapis  teneram  ad  virum 
Virginem,  0  Hymenaee  Hymen, 
0  Hymen  Hymenaee.   Carm.  LXI. 

Note.— In  this  etanza,  Catullus  never  uses  the  Iambus  at  the  beginning  of  a  verse, 
as  he  sometimes  does  in  the  last,  3. 

5.  PriapBan,  28,  13.     In  one  Carmen. 

Metrum  Monocolum.  (Or,  stanza  of  two  verses,  if  the  series  be  regarded 
as  separate  verses.) 

-b| — .w|-v^[l-JI-b| — ,x^|l-Ii«iAII 
Munus  hoc  mihi  maximi  ]  |  da,  Colonia,  risus.   Carm.  XVII. 


LATIN   VERSE.  37 

Note.— It  is  rare  to  find  in  Asynartete  verses  (11)  the  syncopated  syllable  that  ends 
the  first  series,  short.  There  are  one  or  two  instances  of  this  in  Catullus'  Priapean. 
MoreoTer,  there  are  two  or  three  verses  in  which  an  elided  syllable  breaks  over  the  diae- 
resis.   To  illustrate  : 

Insulsissimus  est  homo,  II  nee  sapit  pueri  instar, 
Ne  supinus  eat  cava  ||  que  in  palude  recumbat. 

6.  Phalaecian  (Ilendecasyllable),  28,  12.     In  forty  Carmina. 
Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

->| -wl-wl-^l-oll, 

Lugetc,  0  Veneres  Cupidinesque.   Carm.  III. 

Note.— See  38, 12.  There  is  no  fixed  caesura.  It  occurs  most  frequently  after  the 
arsis  of  the  third  foot,  or  of  the  second.. 

This  is  one  of  the  four  lyrical  metres  elaborated  by  Catullus,  the  others 
being  the  pure  Iambic,  the  Scazon,  and  the  Glyconic ;  and  in  them  he  was 
not  surpassed  by  any  later  poet. 

1.  1)  Iambic  Trimeter  (Senarius),  24,  3.     In  two  Carmina. 

Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 


Phaselus  ille,  quern  videtis,  hospites.   Carm.  IV. 

Note.— in  this  (Carmina  IV.,  XXIX.)  the  Trimeter  is  pure— i.  e.,  without  the  usual 
substitutions— and  the  coincidence  of  word-accent  and  rhythmical  accent  (ictus)  is  re- 
markable. 

2)  Archilochian  Trimeter,  24,  3.     In  one  Carmen. 
Same  as  1),  but  with  the  usual  substitutions. 


Quid  est,  Catulle  ?  quid  moraris  emori  ?   Carm.  LIl. 

8.  Iambic  Scazon  (Choliambus,  Hipponactean),  24,  4.  In  eight  Car- 
mina. 

Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

^  —  ^^  —  1^  —  v_/  —  \  -^ oil 

Peninsularum,  Sirmio,  insularumque.   Carm.  XXXI. 

jToTE— In  thirteen  verses  the  pure  sclTeme  is  found,  in  seventy-four  verses  a  Spondee 
stands  in  the  first  and  third  feet,  in  twenty-nine  in  the  first,  in  thirteen  in  the  third.  The 
third  foot  is  once  a  Dactyl,  the  second  once  a  Tribrach. 

9.  Iambic  Septenarius,  24,  2.     In  one  Carmen. 
Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

:>  I  ^    I  >  __       _  ! II 


Deprensa  navis  in  mari  vesaniente  vento.  Carm.  XXV, 


38 


LATIN  VERSE. 


Note. — This  Carmen  (XXV.)  contains  thirteen  verses;  six  have  the  Iambi  pure;  five 
a  Spondee  in  the  first  foot,  two  a  Spondee  in  first  and  fifth. 

10.  Elegiac  Stanza,  22,  4.     In  fifty-two  Carmina. 
Two  verses. 

___  |___|___|___|_^^|  -^11,  Dactylic  Hexameter,  22,1. 
—  oo  I  —  c^o  I  L_iil  —  v-'v.'l— v-'^I^AII,  Elegiac  Hexameter,  22,  3. 
!Ne  tua  dicta  vagis  nequicquam  credita  ventis 
Efiiuxisse  meo  forte  putes  animo.   Carm.  LXV. 

Note. — Catullus's  Elegiac  poems  are  not  nearly  so  finished  as  those  of  the  great  mas- 
ter of  this  Distich,  Ovid.  The  sense  should  be  complete  with  each  Distich,  a  rule  that 
Catullus  does  not  observe. 

11.  Dactylic  Hexameter  (Heroic),  22,  1.     In  two  Carmina. 
Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

-e^l-wsi^l-ool-ool-vi^wl-^II, 
Namque  fluentisono  prospectans  litore  Diae.    Carm.  LXIV. 

Note. — Spondaic  lines  are  frequent.  The  word-accent  and  ictus  generally  coincide  in 
the  last  three  feet  of  the  verse.    Alliteration  is  common. 

The  Hexameters  of  Catullus  have  a  peculiar  sweetness  and  charm,  but  their  beauty  is 
apparent  more  in  single  lines  than  in  a  complex  system. 

12.  Galliambic  Metre,  23,  3.     In  one  Carmen. 
Metrum  MonocOlum.     Not  grouped  in  stanzas. 

For  the  discussion  and  illustration  of  the  Galliambic,  see  23,  3. 

Note. — The  Attis  is  the  most  original  of  all  his  poems.  Asa  work  of  pure  Imagina- 
tion, it  is  the  most  remarkable  poetical  creation  in  the  Latin  language.  Sellar, 

32.  Index  to  the  Metkes  of  Catullus. 


CARMEN. 

1 

II 

Ill 

IV.... 

V 

VI 

VII... 
VIII... 

IX 

X 

XI.... 

XII .. . 

XIII . . 

XIV... 

XV.... 

XVI. . . 

XVII. . 

XVIII. 

XXII.. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 


METRE. 

6 
6 
6 

..r(i) 

6 
6 

6 


CARMEN. 

XXV 

XXVI 

XXVII. 

METRE. 

9 

6 

6 
6 

T(l) 

2 

8 

6 
G 

3 

CARMEN. 

XLVI 

XLVII 

XLvm 

METBK. 
6 
6 

6 

XXVIII 

XXIX 

XXX 

XXXI 

XXXII 

XXXIII 

XXXIV 

XLIX 

L 

LI 

LII 

LIII 

LIV 

LV 

LVI 

LVII 

6 
6 

1 
....7(2) 
6 
6 
6 

XXXV 

XXXVI 

6 
6 

6 
6 

XXXVII 

8 

LVIII 

6 

XXXVIII 

6 

8 

6 

6 

6 
6 

8 
6 

LIX 

8 

XXXIX 

XL 

XLI 

LX 

LXI 

LXII 

8 

4 

11 

XLII 

XLIII 

LXIII 

LXIV 

...       12 
11 

XLIV 

XLV 

LXV-CXVI.. 

...       10 

LATIN  VERSE.  39 

33.  Anapaestic  Metres. 

Anapaestic  verse  is  not  much  used  by  Latin  writers.  Seneca,  however, 
makes  considerable  use  of  the  first  of  the  following  in  his  tragedies.  The 
movement  is  more  lively  than  that  of  Dactyls. 

1.  Anapaestic  Dimeter  Acatalectic. 

Consists  of  four  Anapaests  for  any  of  which  a  Spondee  may  be  sub- 
stituted, — ^  (observe  the  ictus),  and  for  the  first  and  third  a  Dactyl, 

•^  \it  v-/. 


Leviusque  ferit   |   Icviora  deus ; 

Servat  placidos  |  obscura  quies.  Sea. 

2.  Anapaestic  Dimeter  Catalectic,  called  also  Paroemiac,  from  its  fre- 
quently expressing  a  proverb. 
Same  substitutes  as  in  the  last. 


—.     .^   y^     y^  V.^ 

Functum  laudare  decebit.  Auson. 


34.  Cretic  Metres. 

1.  Cretic  Tetrameter  Acatalectic.     Only  found  in  the  comic  poets. 

Consists  of  four  Cretics,  for  which  a  Paeon  primus,  —  ^  w  w,  or  a 

Paeon  quartus,  v^  w  w  — ,  or  even  a  Molossus, ,  as  an  irrational 

Cretic  can  be  substituted. 


Tu  facis  mc  quidem  vivere  ut  nunc  velim.  Plant.  Eudens^  244, 
2.  Cretic  Tetrameter  Catalectic. 


His  ego  de  artibus  gratiam  facio.  Plant.  Trlnum^  293. 

35.  Bacchic  Metres. 

Bacchic  Tetrameter  Acatalectic.     Only  in  comic  poets. 

Consists  of  four  Bacchii,  with  the  same  substitutions  as  in  Cretic  verse. 


Conlecto  quidemst  pallio :  quidnam  acturust  ?  Plant.  Captivi,  789. 
Note.— The  Bacchic  verse  often  indicates  astonishment  or  surprise. 


40 


LATIN  VERSE. 


36.  Saturnian  Metre. 

This  is  an  indigenous  Latin  metre,  a  nide  form  of  verse,  with  far  less 
precise  metrical  form  than  the  metres  imitated  from  the  Greek,  even  when 
used  with  much  license.  Andronicus  and  Naevius  gave  to  the  Saturnian 
Metre  some  literary  standing. 

It  may  be  regarded  as  composed  of  two  Trochaic  Tripodies,  the  first 
being  anacrustic,  but  with  great  freedom  of  substitution ;  thus — 
^  :  -^\-^\ ll-^|-v^|-^,  or  more  fully, 

(  ^  )  means  that  the  syllable  or  its  resolution  may  be  suppressed. 

Cornelius  Lucius  ]  Scipio  Barbatus 

Gnaivod  patre  prognatus,  ]  tortis  vir  sapiensque.  Epitaph. 

The  following  verse  shows  the  first  series  catalectic,  the  second  with 
anacrusis :     Hone  oino"  ploirume  ]  cosentiont  Eoraane.  Epitaph. 

Tetrapodic  scries  also  occur  rarely,  having  an  additional  arsis  at  the  end ; 
thus —  Dedet  Tempestatebus  1  aide™  m^retod  votam.  Id. 

The  following  epitaph  of  Naevius,  written  by  himself,  illustrates  this  verse ; 

Immortal^s  mortal  es  |  si  for^t  fas  flerc, 
Flerent  divae  Cam6nae  |  Naevium  poetam 
Itaque  postquam  est  orcino  |  traditiis  thesaiiro, 
Obliti  sunt  Komai  1  loquier  lingua  latina. 

The  rhythm  is  very  much  like  that  of  the  English  ballad  metre,  whose 
metrical  arrangement  is  likewise  free : 

Sing'  a  song'  of  sLx 'pence,  |  a  pock'ct  full'  of  lyc', 
The  queen'  was  in'  the  par'lor,  |  eat'ing  bread'  and  hon'ey. 

The  Saturnian  continued  to  survive  among  the  common  people  long  after 
the  introduction  of  Greek  metres. 

37.  The  Saturnian  seems  to  be  a  development  of  a  still  older 
and  ruder  Italic  verse-form,  in  which  the  most  ancient  carmina 
were  expressed.  Carmina — i.  e.,  "set  form  of  words,"  "formulae" 
— were  always  embodied  in  some  sort  of  verse,  however  rude.  This 
rhythmical  character,  before  the  art  of  writing  was  kno'svn,  was  all 
that  gave  to  such  formulae  any  permanence,  or  preserved  them  from 
change. 

This  earliest  poetry  is  based  on  word-accent  rather  than  on  quan- 
tity, and  is  in  this  respect  like  English  verse.  The  arses  were  not 
necessarily  long,  but  the  accented  syllable  of  every  word,  whether 


LATIN  VERSE.  41 

long  or  short,  must  stand  as  arsis.  As  to  the  rest,  the  general 
rhythm  is  not  unlike  Saturnian  ;  but  the  verse  is  more  freely  con- 
structed, and  syncopation  (omission  of  the  thesis)  is  much  more 
frequent.  The  rhythmical  divisions  correspond  in  general  with 
pauses  in  the  sense.  Each  half-verse  has  four  rather  than  three 
ictus  ;  but  when,  as  is  usual,  the  two  last  are  brought  together  by 
syncopation,  the  last  does  not  receive  much  stress.  There  is  also 
alliteration.  Alleti's  Memnants  of  Early  Latin. 

quaesoque  liti  si^s  |  volens  propitius 

mihi  domo  |  familiaeque  nostrae.   Cato  B.  R. 

It  readily  groups  itself  into  verses  and  half -verses,  and  may  be  re- 
cited with  four  ictus  in  each  half-verse,  the  last  two  ictus  com- 
monly being  contiguous.  Id. 

38.  In  the  Latin  Hymns  we  have  a  gradual  transition  from  the 
classical  system,  which  unites  quantity  and  stress  (arsis)  to  ac- 
centual metre,  wherein  accent  and  arsis  harmonize,  as  in  prose. 
Modern  speech  does  not  permit  such  a  deviation  from  prose  speech 
in  poetic  recitation  as  the  ancients  aimed  at.  Both  systems  are 
seen  in  the  Hymns.  In  the  earliest  composed,  quantity  is  all-im- 
portant. Soon  writers  became  careless  about  their  quantities,  espe- 
cially in  the  theses.  Then  came  a  tendency  more  and  more  to 
unite  prose  accent  and  arsis.  The  change  was  completed  in  strict 
harmony  with  rhythmical  movement. 

Then  the  necessity  of  marking  off  the  verses  plainly,  gave  rise 
to  a  rhythmical  repetition  of  letters  (rime).  If  the  riming  letters 
stand  at  the  beginning  of  their  words,  it  is  called  alliteration;  if 
at  the  end,  it  is  termed  rhyme.  Observe  that  in  the  matter  of  ac- 
centual metre  and  alliteration  this  later  poetry  corresponds  to  the 
earliest  Latin  verse.  (See  last  section.  Alliteration  is  found  much 
later,  as  in  Lucretius.)  Alliteration  was  an  essential  part  of  old  Teu- 
tonic poetry,  and  German  and  Anglo-Saxon  writers  of  Latin  hymns 
employ  it  freely.     See  also  i.     See  Dr.  March  in  Latin  Hymns. 

There  is  a  great  variety  of  metres.  Two  specimens  are  given 
for  illustration  : 

1.  Elegiac  Stanza. 

Crux  bene  |  dicta  ni  |  tet,  1 1  Domi  |  nus  qua  I  came   pe  |  pendit, 


Atque  cru  I  ore  8U  I  o  1 1  vulnera  nostra  la  I  vit.  Fortunatits. 


42  LATIN  VERSE. 

2.  Anapaestic  Moxometer.     (Hypermeter  in  verses  1  and  3.) 

0  Dom  I  ine  De  |  us  ! 

Spera  1  vi  in  te ; 

O  ca  I  re  mi  Je  I  su  ! 

Nunc  11 1  bera  m6.   Marj/^  Queen  of  Scots. 

39.  Early  dramatic  verse. 

The  dramatic  writers  depart  very  widely  from  the  rules  of  composition 
which  the  poets  of  the  Augustan  age  so  rigidly  observed.  Quantity  was 
not  yet  definitely  fixed,  and  poetic  composition  in  the  Latin  language  was 
in  process  of  change,  which  ultimately  resulted  in  the  almost  faultless 
models  of  the  Golden  Age.  Older  forms  of  the  language,  as  well  as  pecul- 
iarities  of  pronunciation  often  preserved  in  these  earlier  poets,  should  not 
be  set  down  to  license. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  principal  peculiarities  of  this  early 
verse : 

1.  Long  vowels  in  final  syllables  were  often  shortened ;  almost  exclu- 
sively confined  to  Iambic  words :  Sbest,  domo,  etc. 

A  short  monosyllabic  preceding  a  long  syllable  often  shortens  the  latter. 

2.  The  original  long  quantity  was  retained  in  many  final  syllables :  f  ama 
(nom.),  pater,  soror,  miles;  especially  verb-endings  in  r,  5,  t:  amet,  versat, 
ponebat,  fuerls,  amer,  loquar,  etc. 

3.  Syllables  containing  a  vowel  followed  by  two  consonants  were  some- 
times short :  nempe,  unde,  immo,  esse,  lUe,  occulto,  etc. 

4.  The  tendency  of  the  early  language  was  to  drop  a  final  consonant  and 
shorten  a  final  vowel.  In  accordance  with  this  tendency,  final  syllables 
ending  in  a  consonant  (especially  m,  s,  r,  t)  were  sometimes  retained  short, 
though  the  next  word  began  with  a  consonant :  enim  vero,  auctus  sit,  dabit 
nemo,  tamen  suspicor,  etc. 

6.  When  the  accent  in  a  long  word  fell  on  the  third  syllable  from  the 
first,  a  long  second  syllable  was  often  shortened,  if  the  first  syllable  was 
short :  tabernaculo,  senectuti,  etc. 

6.  Synezesis  and  hiatus  are  freely  allowed. 

^.  Vowels  were  slurred  over :  v'luptas,  ad'lescens,  etc. ;  or  shortened,  if 
initial  and  following  monosyllables. 

8.  Substitutions  were  freely  allowed.  See  21,  8 ;  24, 1,  3  ;  25, 1,  2 ;  33 ; 
34 ;  35. 


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